Nilgiris, October 11 (Daily Kiran) : Residents of Orasolai village near Kotagiri in Tamil Nadu‘s Nilgiris district are on edge following the release of a video showing a leopard roaming through their community. The footage, captured by a CCTV camera, depicts the leopard walking along a road in front of a house before making its way through the residential area. This alarming sight has gone viral on social media, intensifying fears among villagers.
Local residents have urged the forest department to relocate the leopard back to the wilderness, citing the potential for serious incidents due to its proximity to homes. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries or attacks related to this particular sighting.
This incident is particularly concerning given the history of leopard attacks in tea plantation areas of Tamil Nadu, especially in Nilgiris and Valparai. In recent years, several tragic events have involved children from families of plantation workers. For instance, in January 2024, a three-year-old girl named Nancy was killed by a leopard while returning home with her mother near the Bitherkad forest range. Earlier, in December 2023, a woman named Sarita was attacked in Elamana, leading to her death shortly after.
Similar incidents have occurred in Valparai, including the death of a girl named Apsara in October 2024 and a four-year-old girl, Roshni Kumari, who was taken by a leopard in June 2025. Tragically, her body was discovered the following morning. Additionally, in December 2025, a five-year-old boy named Saiful Alam was killed while playing outside his home in the vicinity of a tea estate.
In July 2025, a leopard also killed two calves and injured another near the Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district. Given these alarming patterns, villagers are calling on the forest department to take immediate action regarding the leopard’s presence to ensure the safety of both the local population and the animal itself.
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