Second leopard caught in O'Valley tiger trap, released into forest
A leopard was caught in one of 14 cages set to trap a tiger suspected of killing two people in Lauriston, O'Valley, and was released into a reserve forest.
A leopard has been caught in one of the cages laid to capture a tiger suspected of killing two people in Lauriston, in the O'Valley region. The animal was trapped on Wednesday in a cage positioned between the Gudalur forest division and the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, and was subsequently released safely into a reserve forest.
This is the second leopard to be caught inadvertently in the 14 cages installed since the operation to trap the tiger began on August 21. Both animals were released back into the wild at locations away from human settlements, officials said.
On Thursday, the search for the tiger was stepped up in ranges adjoining the Gudalur forest division, including Naduvattam. Teams also combed caves and rocky crevices in the Gudalur and Singara forest ranges for signs of the animal. Officials confirmed that the tiger has not been sighted in the past few weeks.
The Divisional Forest Officer of the Gudalur division held a review meeting on Wednesday to assess the measures being taken to capture the tiger.