Forest personnel near the Tirumala temple in India captured another leopard on a pedestrian walkway from the Alipiri footpath route. This marks the fifth leopard captured in the area in the last two months. The big cat was trapped in a cage near Seven Miles, following sightings on CCTV cameras. The leopard was safely transferred to the SV Zoo Tirupati.
The increased vigilance and capture efforts were initiated after a leopard attacked a six-year-old girl in August. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, which manages the temple, imposed restrictions on the movement of devotees trekking to the temple due to the presence of multiple leopards in the vicinity. Cages have been set up as part of ‘Operation Chirutha’ to capture the wild cats.