Leopard kills calf near Punganur

A leopard reportedly killed a calf at the forested Gosula Kurappalle village of Chowdepalle mandal near Punganur in Chittoor district. The incident came to light on Wednesday and triggered panic among the villagers and cattle rearers of several hamlets abutting the forests.

The calf was owned by a local farmer, Kumar, who had arranged a shelter for his cow and calf at his fields. The family was away at Chowdepalle to attend a function and had returned home on Tuesday night. As usual, Kumar went to the fields to milk the cow, however, found the calf dead and partially devoured by some wild animal.

A team of forest officials from the Punganur Range rushed to the spot and inspected the site. Upon close examination of the terrain and pug marks, it was confirmed that a leopard was behind the attack. The field staff appealed to the locals to not shelter their livestock at night on fields that abutted the forests.