Leopard captured in Nelamangala village a week after woman was mauled

Bengaluru: A week after a woman was killed in a leopard attack, a male leopard was rescued from Kambalu Gollarahatti village at the foot of Shivagange Hills in Nelamangala taluk on Monday.

Following the death of 50-year-old Kariyamma on September 17, forest officials placed cages at multiple locations around the hill. On Monday, they found a male leopard in one of the traps. The animal is around eight years old.

Officials are awaiting laboratory tests to confirm if this leopard was responsible for the fatal attack. "We have collected blood samples and sent them to the National Centre for Biological Sciences. DNA analysis will reveal if this leopard was involved,” a source said.

Meanwhile, villagers reported seeing two to three leopards in the area and urged the Forest Department to capture them all. Officials stated that DNA test results would guide their next steps.

Sarina Sikkaligar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru Rural, noted that Shivagange Hills and the surrounding forest area is natural leopard habitat. “There may be around seven leopards in the region. The animals and humans have coexisted here, but we will continue operations until the problematic animal is identified and relocated,” she said.