Hassan: A leopard that mysteriously hunts cattle from Arakalagudu Taluk to the Bisle Forest overnight has been spared by the Forest Department, triggering anger among the locals.
Last year, the Forest Department, with the help of the then efficient Forest Officer R. F. Mohan had captured the killer leopard in the forest and removed it from Bisile Forest after a massive protest was held in and around 10 villages in the vicinity of Mamanur, Anegundi, Arani and surrounding 10 villages under Bisile Range of The Western Ghats in Sakleshpura Taluk. The protestors alleged that the dangerous leopard, which was eating cattle pet dogs overnight, was released from Bisle Forest.
After the leopard clearance, the incidents of cattle and pet dogs dying due to leopard attacks in the area had come down to some extent and the villagers had heaved a sigh of relief.
Now, the wild leopard, which continued with the same work in Arakalagud area, continued its practice of attacking the cattle rearing animals in the plains. After the farmers protested, the Forest Department captured the leopard in a cage and brought it back to Bisle Forest overnight without being known to the public.
