Owing to the leopard assaults claiming two lives inside a span of weeks in Mysuru, deputy commissioner Dr Okay V Rajendra on Monday issued an order asking the sugarcane growers to reap the crop early to facilitate the forest division in catching the wild animal on the earliest.
The order got here within the backdrop of forest officers elevating considerations over the sugarcane fields hindering the combing operations to catch the leopard. The forest division had launched a large-scale combing operation in T Narasipura area of Mysuru on December 2 to catch or kill the leopard.
“Ten groups of forest officers together with sharpshooters from Kodagu, specialists from Nagarhole and Bandipur wildlife sanctuaries are combing the world. Every staff has 10-12 members and they’re looking a number of areas,” chief conservator of forest Dr Malathi Priya mentioned.
“September to January is the breeding season for leopards. The primary hindrance to the operation is the sugarcane crop, therefore we wrote to income authorities to reap the crop. Additionally they responded positively,” Priya added.
The Karnataka forest division had beforehand issued a shoot-at-sight order in opposition to a leopard after the animal killed a 22-year-old lady in Mysuru, officers conversant in the matter mentioned on Friday.
Priya mentioned, “Our primary intention is to stop leopards from attacking folks”. She mentioned it’s troublesome to make use of elephants in combing operations in paddy and ragi fields so, drone cameras are being utilized in such areas.
“Cages have been put up in 16 locations and 20 drone cameras are getting used. A entice digital camera has been put in within the areas close to Mallikarjuna hill forest and Odgallu Ranganathaswamy hill forest amongst different areas… although the leopard stays untraceable,” mentioned the CCF.
She mentioned that we now have elevated the combing operations close to Mallikarjuna hill space the place the leopard was captured on digital camera and have recognized 43 villages beneath 21 gram panchayat limits the place an alert has been issued.
A 22-year-old lady, Meghana, was killed within the yard of her home by a leopard at Kebbegundi village in T Narasipura taluk of Mysuru district on Thursday. On October 31, a 21-year-old man, Manjunath, was mauled to loss of life by a leopard in T Narsipura Taluk’s ML Hundi village. Manjunath was attacked by the leopard when he and his mates had been getting back from a temple.
Speaking to the reporters, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai had earlier mentioned that the compensation being paid is just like the one given to the victims of untamed elephant assaults. He mentioned that the forest division has taken the matter critically and efforts are being made to catch the massive cat alive and launch it within the forests.
“The households of these killed in leopard assaults might be offered a compensation of ₹15 lakh. The ex-gratia is just like the one meant for the kin of these killed by wild elephants,” Bommai mentioned.