“Trapped leopard caught near spot of girl’s mauling”

A leopard has been trapped in a cage set up by forest officials in Tirumala after a six-year-old girl was mauled to death by a wild animal. The leopard was caught near the place where the girl was found dead. Forest officials and the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) have been on high alert since the incident. The movement of devotees on the ghat roads and trekking paths leading to Tirumala has been restricted as a precautionary measure. Express News Service reported

Late last night, a leopard was captured in one of the specially designed cages set up by forest officials in response to the tragic incident where a six-year-old girl was fatally attacked by a wild animal. The three-year-old leopard was apprehended near the location where the young girl’s life was tragically taken. Forest and Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) authorities have been on high alert since the incident occurred. In fact, they have implemented measures to restrict the movement of devotees on the ghat roads and trekking paths leading to Tirumala.

The girl, named Lakshitha, went missing on Friday night near Narasimha Swamy temple while accompanying her parents, Dinesh and Sasikala, from Pothireddypalem village in Nellore district. The unfortunate discovery of her lifeless body took place at the Lakshminarasimhaswamy temple on Saturday. According to her father, Dinesh, during their ascent along the Alipiri footway in Tirumala, his daughter had ventured ahead to purchase a biscuit packet. Due to the dense crowd of devotees, they assumed she had proceeded further, but after some time, they were unable to locate her. Tragically, she was later found dead near the Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple.

Media reports suggest that the post-mortem examination revealed that Lakshitha was mauled by a leopard, which had consumed certain parts of her body before retreating into the deep forests on the hills. This incident follows a similar attack on a three-year-old boy on June 22 at the Seventh Mile point near the Tirumala Ghat road. Thankfully, the child managed to escape after fellow pilgrims raised an alarm. The forest authorities successfully captured the leopard the next day and subsequently released it back into the wild.

As a precautionary measure, the Tirupati police have introduced security identification tags for children walking to Tirumala, urging parents to hold onto their children until they reach their destination. Shedding light on the potential reasons behind leopards targeting humans rather than their natural prey, Shantipriya Pandey, the Chief Conservator of Forests in Andhra Pradesh, explained that leopards are nocturnal creatures and often hunt under the cover of darkness. The unfortunate circumstances of the young girl being alone and unprotected, combined with the dimly lit walking track, made her an easy target for the predator.

In response to these incidents, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams has taken further steps to restrict children’s movement on trekking routes. These measures aim to ensure the safety and well-being of all visitors to Tirumala..