Leopard scare haunts Atmakur villagers

Kothapalli (Nandyal): Leopard scare haunts the residents of several villages in Atmakur mandal in Nandyal district. They are spending sleepless nights fearing the attack of big cat. The tiger continuously changes its location and attacks the cattle and sheep and on some occasions it is also attacking the people. In a span of 20-25 days, the leopard has ventured into the human habitations three times and it is the fourth time in Kothapalli mandal.

According to information, the leopard was spotted at Balapalapalli Thippe in Kothapalli mandal of Nandyal district on Monday and killed a cow of one Venkateswarlu. The house owner who woke up early in the morning was shocked to see the half-eaten cow body by leopard. The news spread like wildfire in the entire village and people visited the house in large numbers.

It is the fourth time that the leopard has attacked the cattle and killed the cows. Earlier, the leopard ventured into the human habitations at Pedda Anantapuram village in Atmakur mandal and attacked sheep and cows. On one occasion, the big cat also tried to attack a woman but vanished into the jungle after hearing the screams of people. At that time, the villagers of Pedda Anantapuram brought the incident to the notice of forest department officials.

The Forest department officials after learning about the venturing of leopard were trying to track the pug marks. But this time the big cat has shifted its location from Pedda Anantapuram to Kothapalli mandal. The residents of Balapalapalle Thippe are urging the forest department staff to catch leopard and save their lives from it.