Leopards spotted, villagers in grip of fear

Nellore: Border villages of Nellore and Prakasam districts where Veligonda forest is located are in fear of leopards. Consequently, tension prevailed at Timmareddypalli in Varikuntapadu mandal as leopards were spotted in these villages.

On Tuesday morning, driver of an RTC bus sighted a leopard while he was heading to Chirala from Bengaluru. He informed the local villagers about the movement of the animal.

Villagers immediately informed to the local forest authorities about leopard and they rushed to the spot and conducted searches near a tank at Timmareddypalli. Forest officials have identified the foot prints of the leopard and confirmed the presence of leopard in the border village.

“We had identified the pug marks of the leopard in Timmareddypalli on Tuesday and had alerted the villagers not to travel alone in the forest area for some days,” said D Ramachandraiah, Forest Section Officer, Krishnampalli Section, Udayagiri Range.

He also categorically said that it was the same leopard that spotted near Mopadu project of Pamur mandal in Prakasam district. Normally, a leopard travels up to 25 kilometres per day, he added.

Meanwhile, villagers near Mopadu project under Pamur mandal in Prakasam district identified the leopard that has been drinking water in a local tank on Wednesday. Villagers of Timmareddypalli had also identified the foot prints of the leopard in the morning hours on Wednesday in the farm lands.