KRISHNAGIRI: A leopard entered a house in Kanalatti village near Krishnagiri on Saturday morning, sparking off panic among the residents. The big cat was tranquillised within a few hours after those living in the house locked the house from outside and alerted police and forest officials.
The leopard was first spotted by Sridhar, who woke up from sleep around 6 am after hearing some noise. An alert Sridhar woke his brother and sister up and the three got out of the house silently and locked it from outside.
Later, police and the forest officials arrived and tried to bring the leopard out of the house by beating drums and bursting crackers, but it stayed put. Then, it was captured using a tranquilliser.
“My stepmother Ammaiyamma was washing vessels outside the house. My brother Gopal, 10, sister Kaviya, 12, and I were asleep in our room. At that time, I heard the sound of someone entering the room and woke up. I was shocked to see a leopard just a few feet away. I remained silent, woke my brother and sister up and we three came out of the house and locked it,” Sridhar, son of house owner Laxmaiya, told Express.
After sometime, the leopard entered kitchen and stayed there till it was tranquillised, he added.
Venkatesh, owning a browsing centre in the locality, said his father spotted the animal and followed it till the house. “This is the first time a leopard has entered our village. But we’ve heard about this leopard being in the nearby forest for the last two years,” Venkatesh said.
