Forest department captures leopard on prowl in TN

Chennai, Jan 28 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Forest Department officials on Thursday captured a male leopard after tranquilising it with sedatives at Ammapalayam near Tirumuruganpoondi municipality in Tiruppur district.Forest officials said that the leopard would be translocated to the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR). The forest officials of Coimbatore had captured another leopard from a godown at B.K. Pudur area a few days ago.The officials of the Forest Department were camping at Pongupalayam near Perumnallur on Wednesday after the leopard was found in the city. On Thursday morning, the leopard attacked two persons including a garment factory worker and a forest watcher at a godown of a private garment company at Ammapalayam near Thirumuruganpoondi municipality.A veterinary surgeon with the Tamil Nadu Animal husbandry department Vijayaraghavan later shot darts at the leopard, tranquilising the animal.S. Ramasubramanian, field director, ATR told IANS: "The male leopard is about 4 year old, and it attacked three Anti-Poaching Watchers and a forest range officer. It might have come from the Bhavanisagar forest area in Erode district and travelled more than 35 km to reach the Thiumuruganpoondi area in Tiruppur district. The leopard has no external injuries and it will be released at Kadamparai reserve forest near Valparai in Coimbatore district."
--IANS aal/pgh

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