Bhumana Karunakar lashes out at trolls on distribution of sticks to devotees

It is known that another Leopard has been trapped in a cage on the Tirumala Walkway, specifically at the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple, which is the third one caught in recent past.

Regarding these developments, TTD Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy who visited the Leopard sighted spot stated that the trapped Leopard, confirmed to be a male, was captured at 1:30 am. He said their priority is the safety of devotees and hence launched a program to trap leopards and as part of this effort, sticks are being provided to devotees under the guidance of forest officials.

Bhumana Karunakar Reddy responded to the trolls on social media regarding the distribution of sticks to devotees stating that it is inappropriate and opined that it is not good to disturb their morale of the people and officials. He affirmed that Operation Leopard will continue, with plans to capture more leopards and put them in the zoo.

TTD Executive Officer Dharma Reddy also commented on the situation, mentioning that they are gathering information on leopards and have sought the assistance of a team of experts from Srisailam. The provision of sticks to devotees is intended to enhance their safety, as the presence of hundreds of individuals carrying sticks helps deter animals from approaching too closely. Dharma Reddy expressed that trolling the TTD on social media is inappropriate.