Leopard kills two cow calves near Hasanur in Erode district

ERODE: A leopard wandering out of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve killed two cow calves and injured another in a village near Hasanur in Erode district in the early hours of Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, P Basamani, 45, V Sadanandam, 54, and P Jagadeesan of Ongalwadi village secured their calves in cowsheds near their homes. The leopard attacked Sadanandam’s calf. The calf was injured. The leopard then killed Basamani’s calf. It then attacked Jagadeesan’s calf and dragged it into the darkness.Villagers said they had been urging the forest department officials to take swift action to capture the leopard, which frequently entered the village for hunting.

“They had assured us they would respond. However, the recent attack by the leopard has instilled fear and shock among us," a villager said. The villagers said they would protest till the leopard was captured and relocated deep into the forest.Forest department officials from the Hasanur range assured the villagers that they would take necessary steps to capture the leopard as soon as possible.