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
Reports said the buffalo owned by a farmer Kuruva Venkatesh was tied to a pole and its caracass was found on Wednesday morning, sending panic waves among villagers
The leopard was sighted on the walkway near Galigupuram with its movements captured on CCTV footage in a shop around 1 am. The shopkeeper alerted the officials of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam
Ramayampet Forest Range Officer K Vidyasagar, who interacted with villagers, said the dumping of municipal waste which include chicken waste was also attracting the leopard to the forest fringes.
The movement of the leopard was recorded on a CCTV camera installed by a farmer on his farm on the outskirts of the village. The sighting of the leopard has sparked panic among locals
Venkatesh Goud, a businessman, who was out on a morning walk on the campus, claimed to have spotted a leopard in the early hours of Sunday; officials form team to monitor campus and its surroundings
Motorists said a leopard crossed the national highway at a temple near Dilawarpur mandal headquarters. They recorded a video of the wild animal using their mobile phones
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Monday when shepherds took the goats for grazing. Spotting the goats, the leopard surfaced suddenly and tried to attack a goat. As it managed to escape, the leopard attacked two kids and was trying to drag them into the forests.
Startled to see the leopard just a few meters away, the teacher halted his bike. The leopard remained calm and crossed the road without showing any aggression. Taking precautions, the teacher backed up a few meters and joined other commuters heading in the same direction. He later informed the villagers about the encounter once he reached the school.
Forest officials reported that leopard pugmarks were found in the Ameenpur forest beat near the village. They urged locals to remain cautious and advised farmers not to enter agricultural fields before 10 a.m. and to leave by 4 p.m. They also recommended that cotton growers work in groups and wear face masks for added safety.