Forest department monitoring leopard venturing into Ooty town with thermal drones

The Forest Department is monitoring a leopard that has been spotted within Udhagamandalam town over the last few months, with the use of thermal drone cameras.

The animal, which has not had any negative interactions with people so far, was being seen with increasing frequency near the Tamizhagam Road, Gymkhana Club Road and West Oda Area over the last few months, local residents complained, with a section of them demanding that the animal be captured and relocated away from the town.

In an effort to keep tabs on the leopard, the Forest Department announced on Monday that they were deploying thermal imaging drones to keep tabs on the animal’s movements around town. The officials hope that the animal would move away from town of its own accord but said that they will continue to monitor its movements to prevent any negative interactions with people.

The department has also set up cameras around the Government Botanical Garden (GBG) and surrounding settlements after residents complained of pet dogs being preyed on by a carnivore, suspected to be a leopard.

There have been a number of reported sightings of leopards around or within Udhagamandalam town over the last few months, with the animals possibly coming to rely on stray dogs as a food source. Conservationists stated that ensuring a more effective waste management system and cleaning up of open dumping sites within the town would result in fewer stray dogs over the long-run, and discourage carnivores like leopards from venturing close to human habitations.