Vigil stepped up after leopard attack in Nandyal, Andhra

KURNOOL : A day after a woman was mauled to death by a leopard at Pacharla in Sirivella mandal of Nandyal district, locals spotted a leopard on Wednesday near Goshala on the premises of Mahanandi temple.

Taking the issue on a serious note, Nandyal District Collector K Sreenivasulu held an emergency meeting with Joint Collector T Rahul Kumar Reddy, Project Tiger Deputy Director Anurag Meena and District Forest Officer Shivashankar Reddy at his chamber on Wednesday.

He directed the officials concerned to be vigilant and take immediate action on such issues. He instructed the officials to prevent people from entering areas surrounding Nallamala forest. The personnel at the forest checkpost were directed to maintain heightened vigilance and monitor the movements of leopard. The Collector also directed tahsildars of Mahanandi, Sirivella and Rudravaram mandals to conduct a three-day awareness campaign, alerting villagers about the leopard threat.

As per rough estimation at least 50 leopards are straying into villages located under Chalama, Gajulapalle, Mahanandi, Pacharla and Rudravaram ranges in Nallamala forest of Nandyal district. The officials informed that these leopards are entering the villages in search of food. It was also informed that during the rainy season is the breeding season for wild animals making them more aggressive. The officials are setting up additional trap cameras to identify the exact population of leopards and demarcate risky areas.