Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Mar 14: Currently the forest department has been conducting the census of the tigers. Cameras have been installed at various places in the forest. The movement of a leopard was trapped in a camera installed at Parnale, Nelligudde in Thotathadi near Ujire in the taluk. This has given rise to fear among the people of Thotathadi.

The leopard movement was sighted at about 4 am on March 7. Under the project, pictures are collected once in five days, and during this exercise, movement of a leopard was detected. About two years back, a leopard had hunted a calf belonging to a family and its carcass was found nearby. The forest department had placed a trap at the spot thereafter.

The spot is nearer to the national highway. Some vehicle riders had talked about the movement of leopard on the highway. This information has now been confirmed by the pictures caught by the forest department camera.

Camera trapping is an exercise meant to identify the movement of wild animals and to capture their photographs. Two cameras are installed opposite to each other in spots identified by the department as animal crossing spots which capture movement of animals if any.