TN: Leopard kills dog at home stay in Valparai, locals demand immediate capture

Chennai, Nov 5 (IANS) A leopard killed a dog at a homestay in Valparai in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday morning.

According to officials from the Tamil Nadu Forest Department, the homestay owners woke up to the dog’s cries, only to find that the leopard had already killed it.

Local residents have since demanded urgent action from the authorities, calling for the leopard to be trapped and relocated.

This incident comes just days after a tragic attack in Valparai, where a 6-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard.

The deceased, identified as Apsara Khatun, was the daughter of Nasiran Khatun and Atul Ansari, migrant workers from Jharkhand employed at the Uzhimala estate.

The leopard reportedly dragged the girl into the forest while she was at a local stream with her mother and other children. Though local residents, police, and forest officers intervened and drove the leopard away, the child succumbed to her injuries on the way to the hospital.

The Valparai region in Coimbatore has been experiencing increasing human-wildlife conflict, with wild elephants, leopards, and wild boars frequently entering residential areas.

M. Mariappan, a social activist in Valparai, expressing frustration, said, “We have been informing the forest department about the presence of leopards and wild elephants here. We demand stricter measures to prevent wild animals from entering human settlements and to avoid further tragedies.”

With the leopard still at large, residents are fearful and have expressed their frustration with the forest department, planning a protest to demand immediate action.

--IANS

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