Leopard rescued, released back into forest

Udupi: The forest department officials saved a young leopard estimated to be 4-5 years late on Saturday evening.

According to reports, the leopard had entangled itself on a barbed wire fence across a private property on Hiriyadka Kukkehalli road at a place called Bakkare. The leopard had given up the struggle to set itself free, as the barbed wire was hurting it. Words were sent to the forest officials in Udupi, who rushed to the spot and arranged for a tranquiliser shot administered by appropriate experts.

They later released the leopard, and after applying medicine to the scratches on its pelt, they released it to the nearby Someshwara wildlife sanctuary, from where it is presumed to have entered Bakkare village.

According to the villagers, wildlife incursions in these parts of the district have increased in the last few years. Somappa Suvarna, who is a village elder, said smaller wildlife are always found in these parts, like pangolins, snakes of different kinds, jackals, peacocks, and forest fowl. There are rare occasions when leopards have also roamed about villages like Bakkare, Bailuru, Kukkehalli, and other places. He said because of prey-predator ratio was dwindling in the neighbouring Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, wildlife incursions have become frequent.