Hours after a leopard entered a house in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu, Forest Department officials are still struggling to capture the animal. On early Sunday morning, November 12, a leopard strayed into a family home in the Brooklands Estate area of Coonoor in the Nilgiris. The leopard was attempting to carry away a pet dog when the family realised what was happening and alerted the Fire Department. Three firemen, a reporter and an official from the district revenue collector’s (DRO) office have sustained injuries during attempts to capture the animal. The leopard, according to latest reports, has taken refuge in a dark corner near the house as it is terrified by the noise of Deepavali fireworks, making it harder for forest department officials to track its movements. 

According to the Tamil news channel Puthiyathalaimurai, authorities are now waiting for Deepavali firecracker noises to die down in the hope that the leopard would come out of hiding of its own accord. Residents of Brooklands also reportedly demanded that the animal be caught and taken away as there has been a rise in the number of leopards wandering into the neighbourhood in search of food and water. 

Those injured in the attack are currently being treated at the local government hospital. The victims have sustained injuries on the back of their heads, arms, and throats. Last year in August a four-year-old child of migrant workers was attacked and killed by a leopard in Mainalai also in the Nilgiris district.