Kasaragod: After months of leopard sightings and the disappearance of pet and stray dogs, a leopard was found dead in a well at Kasaragod's Delampady panchayat on Saturday, February 1. After the autopsy, Kasaragod Forest Range Officer Vinod Kumar C V said the big cat was a six-year-old male and had been dead for five days.

This is the second leopard to die in the panchayat in five months.

The latest leopard was found dead in a well belonging to Mohana at Thalappacheri, less than 100m from Karnataka’s Sullia Forest Range, said Vinod Kumar. The family had been out of town for a week, and the dead leopard was discovered only after neighbours noticed the smell. "We suspect the leopard might have lost its footing while trying to leap over the well. It crashed down and broke its ribs, which is the possible reason for its death," said the official.

In Mulleria panchayat, about 20 km from Delampady, the Forest Department officially confirmed the presence of four leopards during a public meeting on November 8, 2024, following an incident in which a leopard snatched a pet dog from E Manikandan's house at Thottathumoola near Kotoor. Leopards were reported from areas close to Karadka and Pandi forest too.

Dogs reportedly went missing from at least five houses in Poovadka and Adukkathotti in Mulleria panchayat in December and January, according to Thahira Basheer, a panchayat member from the neighbouring Delampady. "In January, when a beloved stray dog was taken from the bus stop near the BUDS School at Adukkathotti, people put up obituary posters of the dog to protest," she said.

In September, the Forest Department installed five surveillance cameras in Mulleria panchayat — at Kuniyeri, Minnamkulam, and Mugali, areas where leopards had reportedly been sighted. However, the cameras failed to capture any footage of the big cats.

Places such Poovadka, located along the state highway to Kasaragod, have forests on one side and human settlements on the other. But leopards have been seen in urban areas such as Mavungal, Kalyan, and Vazhakod near Kanhangad town.

On August 9, a leopard died after getting caught in a snare trap set for wild boar at a private farm in Mallampara, Delampady panchayat. The leopard dragged the snare cable for 100 metres before it roared and collapsed in a rubber plantation. Although the Forest Department was alerted around 8.30 am, the Rapid Response Team only arrived by 1.30 pm with a net and cage, by which time the leopard had died.

Last Saturday, that is on January 25, a tusker was found dead, 50m from Thalappacheri inside Karnataka forest. Officials said the elephant was killed in a clash with a rival male. The dead elephant had multiple deep wounds on its leg.

Residents reported that elephants frequently destroy crops along the fringes of forests in Karadka, Parappa, and Bandadka.