Leopard trapped in snare laid for wild game rescued, released into tiger reserve

A leopard trapped in a snare laid on agricultural land at Pattavayal in the Gudalur forest division in the Nilgiris was rescued by the Forest Department and released into the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) early on Thursday.

The Forest Department said they received information that a leopard was trapped in the fence on the land of N.C. Krishnan, a resident of Velleri in Pattavayal in the Bitherkad Forest Range, around 8 p.m. on Wednesday. Once they reached the spot, they learnt that the animal had been caught in a snare placed around the farm.

Veterinary assistant surgeon from MTR K. Rajesh Kumar was involved in the rescue operation.

The Forest Department said the animal was rescued and treated for its injuries, and brought in a specially-designed cage to the tiger reserve.

Following the release, the Forest Department began an investigation to identify the individual responsible for laying the snare and arrested K. Balan, a 40-year-old daily wage worker.

He confessed to having laid the trap for small wild game, officials said.

In a separate incident, a tiger was found dead in the Sigur forest range in the buffer zone of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Wednesday.

Officials said the carcass was discovered by field staff during a routine patrol. A postmortem was conducted on the carcass, following which it was destroyed. Officials said preliminary investigations pointed to natural death.