Hunt on for the panther on prowl in TN

CHENNAI, FEB 22: Forest officials continued to maintain vigil at the Gnayiru village near Sholavaram in suburban Chennai as the panther o...

CHENNAI, FEB 22: Forest officials continued to maintain vigil at the Gnayiru village near Sholavaram in suburban Chennai as the panther on prowl is said to have attacked a woman, Arasani (28) of the village on Saturday.

The panther had attacked eight persons on Feb 17. All the victims have been admitted to the Stanley Hospital. Arignar Anna Zoological Park director N Krishna Kumar, who visited the spot said the area was a continuous terrain of cashew and eucalyptus trees. Tracking the pug marks was proving difficult as villagers by the hundreds trampled on the ground in panic. The dry nature of the soil too did not help, say forest officials.

The panther, a Schedule-I species in the endangered list, was a prolific breeder delivering litters once in three months and did not require proper forest surroundings to survive. However, forest officials say that in India, the panther population is on the rise.

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As there was no loss of human lives or cattle reported so far, no decision was taken regarding shootingthe animal. Forest officials will be mapping out the animal’s corridor to get a clear picture of its movement in the past few days.

Seven forest officials including a ranger were stationed there. Forest officials said they would watch for another week before withdrawing from the area.

The panther’s attack revealed that it was probably retreating into the forest range in Andhra Pradesh. Last week, the panther was spotted at Sholvaram and Saturday’s reported attack was seven to eight kms away from the place. The animal can walk 22 kms a day. Villagers have been asked not to panic and spread rumours, officials added.