The District Forest Officer (DFO), Vellore, S. Kalanidhi, on Wednesday mentioned it was a stray canine on a avenue in Onnai Mottur village close to Anaicut area in Vellore that killed a cat within the space and never a leopard as was broadly believed after the CCTV footage went viral on social media the day prior to this.
The footage of the CCTV cameras on the entrance of a home within the village confirmed an animal chasing a cat on Tuesday night time. The video of the incident went viral on social media platforms. Subsequently, Collector P. Kumaravel Pandian issued a normal advisory to residents within the village and vacationers in Anaicut area, which is situated alongside Jawadhu Hills, to not enterprise out throughout night time because of suspected leopard motion. The advisory was based mostly on the preliminary experiences by the DFO.
“We have analysed at least seven CCTV footages of the incident and have concluded that it was a stray dog which killed the cat and not a leopard,” Mr. Kalanidhi informed The Hindu.
Forest officers mentioned a 12-member particular workforce, led by Odugathur forest vary officer, S. Indu, has been fashioned to observe any suspicious motion of leopards that may have strayed from its habitat — Kaundinya sanctuary in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
As per data, forest officers mentioned not less than 8-10 leopards have been noticed within the reserve forests (RFs), protecting key cities like Gudiyatham and Pernambut alongside the sanctuary on the Tamil Nadu border earlier. The Onnai Mottur village is situated close to Pallikonda RF, which is near Gudiyatham and Pernambut cities. In April 2021, a five-year-old male leopard was tranquillized by forest officers after he attacked a household in Gudiyatham. Since then, leopards straying into human habitations haven’t been reported within the area.
Forest officers mentioned lack of pug marks, prolonged tail and playful nature of the animal within the footage have been a number of the indications that led them to verify the animal was not a leopard. They mentioned the damage marks within the cat have been additionally not on the neck and there have been no traces of blood within the cat. Further, they mentioned that no leopard will go away its prey within the spot at any cost. However, residents discovered the useless cat later.
As a part of surveillance and to instil confidence amongst residents, the particular forest workforce has been patrolling RFs like Nellimalai, Pallikonda, Arasanpattu and Sarakuppam in Odugathur forest vary. CCTV cameras in villages alongside these RFs are additionally being monitored by the workforce.
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