Erode, Nov 6:
Panic gripped Thottagajanur village within the Thalavadi forest range of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) after a prowling leopard barged into a residential compound and carried away a pet guard dog late on Wednesday night.
The incident occurred at the house of Sulochana (30), who had tied her dog on the front veranda. Hearing frantic barking, Sulochana opened the door to find the carnivore snatching the dog. Though she raised an alarm and villagers rushed out, the leopard dragged its prey into the nearby scrub jungle before disappearing into darkness. Forest department personnel visited the spot the following morning and lifted pugmarks to verify the animal’s movement.
Local residents and farmers reported that a leopard has taken refuge in an abandoned stone quarry in the vicinity for over three years, hunting more than a hundred domestic cattle, goats, and poultry across Susaiyapuram, Thottagajanur, and Hosur. Villagers lamented that fear of predators has forced people indoors by 6 PM and prompted several farmers to sell their livestock, demanding that forest officials immediately place trap cages to capture the animal.