KOPPAL: Is a leopard prowling around
Horatnal village in
Koppal taluk? The villagers believe there is - cattle have been killed over the past few days - but
forest officials say there is little sign of a big cat so far. But the hunt is on and villagers are spending their days in dread.
Talk of a leopard lurking nearby began two days go when two livestock were killed. Villagers believe the big cat took them at night and killed them.
Then, on Sunday morning, a buffalo calf belonging to
Kyashwetappa Dollin was killed. The news spread all over and panic set in. Scared to go to the fields or go about their work, villagers urged officials to find the leopard and trap it.
Range forest officer
Abdul Quadar Mulla said no leopard pugmarks had been found in or around the village. "We hav e launched a search operation for the leopard. We have tried to capture it by putting out meat but it has not been sighted so far. The attacks (on livestock) were caused by other wild animals, not by a leopard," he said.
Forest officials have started a night vigil and are patrolling the village.