Chennai, Aug 20 (BPNS)
A leopard that killed a four-year-old girl child on August 10 when she had gone into the thicket of a private tea estate in Udhagai North Forest range was captured and released into the Madhumalai Tiger Reserve on Saturday.
Forest department officials of Tamil Nadu told BPNS that they had kept CCTV cameras in 10 different spots surrounding the private tea estate and the adjacent forest land to capture the movement of the tiger.
On finding that the leopard was still roaming in the area, the department set up a cage on Friday and the animal fell into the trap and was captured on Saturday. Forest officials told IANS that the animal was in good health.
However, the forest department capturing and releasing the animal into Madhumalai Tiger has received criticism from animal lovers. N. Sadik Ali of Wildlife and Nature Conservation Trust while speaking to media persons said that the capture and release of the animal were unnecessary. He said that the leopard had no negative intentions towards the people and that it had met the girl in a chance encounter. He called upon the estate owners to provide proper bathrooms and toilets for the workers so that people are not frequenting thickets during early morning hours and late nights.
The wildlife activist also said that the animal will find it difficult in adapting to the new landscape and compete with other carnivores in the area.
