Three women suffered serious injuries after a leopard pounced on them while they were defecating in the open, near a reserve forest in the Bitherkad forest range on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
Forest Department officials said that the three victims, Saradha, Durga and Valliamma, belonging to an Adivasi community in the CTRD tribal colony, near the Bitherkad Forest Range in Gudalur, had gone to a plot of revenue land near their village to defecate, when they were attacked by a leopard hiding amidst the undergrowth.
All three suffered injuries and were rushed to the Gudalur Government Hospital for treatment. Two of the persons were referred to the Ooty Government Medical College and Hospital.
Local residents demanded that the Forest Department initiate steps to capture the leopard.
Officials believe that the attack was accidental, and that the leopard could have attacked the trio as it felt threatened. However, they added that camera traps are to be placed in the area surrounding the negative interaction, and that a team of more than 20 forest department staff has been deployed in the area to monitor the situation.
