Prowling leopard gets trapped in cage on Tirupati’s Sri Venkateswara University campus

The leopard, which was seen moving in the campus and in the vicinity for the last few weeks, was trapped in one of the cages set up by the forest department to catch it

Tirupati: A leopard was trapped in a cage placed by the Forest Department in the Sri Venkateswara University (SVU) campus in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on Sunday.

The leopard, which was seen moving in the campus and in the vicinity for the last few weeks, was trapped in one of the cages set up by the forest department to catch it. Veterinary doctors examined the leopard, and they found it healthy. The big cat was later released into the forest.

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Four cages were placed across the campus to capture the elusive leopard that had been making forays into the campus regularly from the abutting Tirumala forests.

According to Forest Department officials, the leopard was recently spotted near the SVU students’ hostel and at Devlok on Tirupati Zoo Park Road. This sparked fear among students and others who demanded that the forest department catch the animal.

In February, the Forest Department had conducted perambulation across the sprawling SVU campus following suspicion over the presence of leopard cubs. Forest guards, along with the university’s security personnel, staff members, NSS volunteers, and students, had conducted the exercise, but no trace of any leopard cubs was found.

Last month, a leopard was sighted on the Alipiri walkway, triggering panic among local shopkeepers and devotees. The movements of a leopard were captured on CCTV footage in a shop, and the shopkeeper alerted the officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD). The TTD officials advised devotees to use the walkway only in groups.

Earlier, a leopard was sighted near Muggu Bavi on the walkway. It had retreated into the woods. The TTD security personnel had been providing security to devotees. The TTD officials, along with the Forest Department, had put in place additional security measures.

The Alipiri walkway is used by hundreds of devotees every day to reach the Sri Venkateshwara temple atop Tirumala Hills. The 9-km-long route has 3,550 steps to reach the hill shrine.

In January, a leopard was sighted near Alipiri on the foothill of Tirumala Hills, sending panic among the residents of Tirupati as well as the travellers. A contract employee of TTD’s Aswini Hospital was injured when he encountered a leopard while travelling on a bike on the Alipiri-Cherlopalli road.

The big cat jumped off the road median to cross the road towards the abutting forest. Muni Kumar fell from the bike when he panicked on seeing the leopard. Leopards have been making frequent appearances on this road during the last several months.