Leopard gives up, finally

TIRUR: A leopard that refused to walk into the trap set up by the forest authorities for over a week at the Koottayi coast, near here, finally gave itself up in the early hours of Thursday, bringing cheers to the local people and the forest officers who tried their best to capture the animal alive.

The leopard was later taken to Wayanad and released into the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary.

The big cat had hidden in the gaps of the Koottayi breakwaters, making it difficult for the forest authorities to reach it. The animal, which used to come out at night, had surprisingly got accustomed to the coastal habitat.

Divisional Forest Officer M. Sreedharan Nair, who led the operations to capture the leopard, said the animal had arrived at Koottayi at least two months ago. �It had become used to the surroundings. It never attacked any animal or human beings in the area, despite the presence of large crowds of people and vessels, Mr. Nair said.