Leopard caught near Mettur
Forest department officials successfully captured a five-year-old male leopard that had been preying on cattle near the Salem-Erode border. The animal will undergo a veterinary checkup before being released into a deeper forest area.
Why it matters
Human-wildlife conflict management is essential for both public safety and the conservation of endangered species.
A male leopard, aged five to six years, that had been preying on cattle in villages along the Salem-Erode district border was caught in a cage at Chinnamalai, adjoining the Kannamoochi forest under the Mettur Forest Range in Salem district, on Wednesday (October 7, 2026).
The leopard had been moving between the forest areas under the Mettur Range in Salem district and the Chennampatti Range in Erode district. Officials of the two ranges jointly placed cages at four locations in the forest areas of the two districts to trap the animal.
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