Beltangady: Leopard infestation has been found in Dumbettu area under Mundaje village panchayat. Locals said that around five dogs of the environment have been killed by leopards in the last one week..
Pet dogs of Sudhakar Gowda, Jayananda Panikallu, Eshwara, Vishwanath Gowda etc. have been killed by leopards roaming in Chamundinagar, Panikallu, Kaje areas of Dumbett near Charmadi-Kanapadi Sanctuary.
Last two days ago, a local named Vijaya said that he had seen the leopard up close when he was going to the forest to collect wood in the morning.
Last year, during the camera trapping conducted as part of the tiger hunt, the movement of leopards in Chibidre forest near here was caught on camera several times. A couple of times motorists also encountered leopards on the national highway here.
Anxiety among locals.
There are a large number of dairy farmers in Dumbettu and nearby areas. All of them are rearing cattle tied in barns. Also, children and women travel through the forest environment to provide milk to milk producers’ associations. School students have to navigate these same environments. The people of the area are worried about the leopard menace and they are ready to file a complaint with the forest officials.
Wild beasts infested area
There is a lot of wild animals in Dumbettu environment. Jungle traffic is very common here. Last year, wild boars attacked here for 15 consecutive days and caused a lot of agricultural damage. Due to this, an atmosphere of fear was created in the environment. The senior officials of the forest department visited and conducted an inspection and called the expert elephant guards from Nagarhole. After this, wild boars continue to attack here again. Wild boars are encroaching on gardens and digging up agricultural land. The plague of monkeys and peacocks is extreme. Dangerous and poisonous reptiles such as rattlesnake, cobra, mirror snake, python are common in the area.
