A fact-finding team, that was looking into steps that could have been taken by the forest department to minimize loss of life caused by a leopard that attacked and killed two persons, including a 4-year-old child in Pandalur in Gudalur forest division has released a list of recommendations which it hopes would help deal with future negative human-animal interactions.
The team, comprising Kannaiyan Subramaniam, President of the Thalavady Farmers Association, K. Mohanraj, an environmentalist and member of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and R. Vennila, a volunteer with the Thalavady Farmers Association, visited the families of one of the victims who was attacked by a leopard, leading to her death a week later from her injuries, as well as the families of three others who were injured by the same leopard. The team also met or spoke to top forest department officials, including Conservator of Forests (Nilgiris), D. Venkatesh, Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur), Kommu Omkaram, field staff from the forest department, Gudalur MLA, Pon Jeyaseelan and local activists.
While interviewing the family of one of the victims, Saritha, her family claimed that there was a delay in transferring her to the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH), which they say could have contributed to her death a week after the incident. They also found that Saritha and another victim, Thoonga, did not have adequate toilet facilities in their houses, leading to them having to venture out into the open to defecate and relieve themselves.
