Thursday’s leopard attack on a little boy at the 7th mile point on the Tirumala ghat road once again brought the spotlight on the issue of man-animal conflict in the Seshachalam forest.
The predator was identified to be a sub-adult leopard learning the nuances of hunting. Forest officials have found that the little boy, belonging to a pilgrim party from Adoni of Kurnool district, had a miraculous escape.
According to eyewitness accounts, the boy’s parents found the leopard chasing a cat. Before they could alert the boy who was walking a few yards behind with his grandfather, the animal grabbed the boy by holding his neck between its jaws and ran for 120 metres into the forest. Vigilance officials and staff posted at the nearby microwave repeater station and fellow devotees rescued the boy by pelting stones on the leopard.
Though visibly shocked, the boy was conscious when our guards rescued him,” Devasthanam Forest Officer A. Srinivas told The Hindu on Friday. There are around five to ten leopards in the immediate vicinity of Tirumala-Tirupati forests, but the number could be more than 100 in the entire Seshachalam hill ranges, say officials.
Seventh mile’s notoriety
The ‘Seventh Mile’ (Lord Hanuman shrine) is where the ghat road and trekking route intersect close to the thick forest, providing a resting place for tired trekkers. The place is dotted by a number of eateries, and as such, the leftover food invites wild boars and deer. “This is one reason why the predators come sniffing all the way to this spot,” Mr. Srinivas said.
The place was once home to a deer park maintained by the TTD to entertain pilgrims. Despite warnings, the trekkers offer food to the deer and sambars held in captivity. Though left in the wild today, the deer roam around the spot, thus inviting leopards and wild dogs.
“To track the animal movement, we are installing camera traps in the vicinity, some of which are equipped with technology to sound an alarm on sighting a leopard,” Mr. Srinivas said. For animals sneaking into the vicinity, a cage will be put in place where they will be captured, and they will be later released into the wild.
Meanwhile, TTD Executive Officer A.V. Dharma Reddy visited the spot to take stock and asked officials to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
