Chennai, Aug 5 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has intensified patrolling and surveillance in the Boluvampatti forest range near Narasipuram village in Coimbatore district after a leopard attack left one cow dead and another injured.

The incident occurred on Sunday evening when A. Ponnusamy, 41, a resident of Narasipuram, took his cattle to graze near the forest fringes. Alarmed by the sound of cows mooing in distress, his family rushed to the spot and found the animals lying in a pool of blood. One cow had died on the spot, while the other sustained serious injuries.

Forest officials who arrived at the site found the presence of leopard pugmarks near the scene, confirming the involvement of the predator. The following day, villagers gathered in front of the Narasipuram forest office and staged a protest, accusing the forest department of inaction despite repeated warnings about the presence of wild animals in the vicinity.

Residents claimed that they had earlier alerted officials about frequent elephant and leopard movements in the area, but no preventive steps had been taken. They demanded immediate measures to ensure the safety of people and livestock.

Boluvampatti forest ranger K. Jayachandran said the department has deployed four vehicles for continuous patrolling and has installed camera traps to monitor wild animal movements, including leopards.

He assured the villagers that efforts are underway to prevent further human-wildlife conflicts and added that compensation will be provided to the affected cattle owner. A veterinary officer conducted a post-mortem on the dead cow on Monday evening.

This incident has revived concerns over recurring leopard attacks in the district, particularly in Valparai, where several tragic incidents involving children have been reported in recent years.

On June 20, four-year-old Roshini Kumari, the daughter of migrant plantation workers from Jharkhand, was mauled and dragged away by a leopard near her home in the Pachamalai tea estate. Her body was found 17 hours later, about 700 metres from her house. A male leopard believed to be responsible was trapped six days later and later released into the Ulandhi range of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. This marked the third fatal leopard attack involving children of migrant tea estate workers in Valparai within two years.

In October 2024, four-year-old Apsara Khatoon was killed near the Uzhemala estate, while in November 2023, a seven-year-old boy named Pradeep was injured near Sirukundra.

Forest officials and wildlife experts continue to emphasise the need for long-term mitigation strategies to prevent human-wildlife conflict, especially in areas bordering forests.

With both Narasipuram and Valparai witnessing alarming incidents, authorities have urged residents to avoid sending livestock near forest edges and to report any wild animal movement without delay.

–IANS

aal/dpb