Officials have decided to tranquillise the leopard spotted in Chalakudy town. The decision was finalised during a meeting led by District Collector Arjun Pandyan, who instructed officials to shoot the tranquilliser dart immediately upon sighting the animal.

The forest department has installed around 100 surveillance cameras across Chalakudy to track the leopard.

The meeting, held at Chalakudy Town Hall under the chairmanship of the Collector, was attended by MLA Saneesh Kumar Joseph, forest officers from Vazhachal and Chalakudy, and other representatives.

CCTV footage confirmed the leopard’s presence in Chalakudy town on March 24 and March 30, prompting the District Collector to call the meeting.

The first sighting occurred on March 24, approximately 150 meters from Chalakudy South Junction near Kannambuzha Ambalam Road. Despite setting up surveillance cameras and a trap cage, the animal was still at large.

On March 28, a resident of Annanad reported that the leopard had attacked his pet dog. By the time the family members were alerted by the dog's barking, the leopard had fled. Two days later, the leopard was spotted near the Chalakudy bridge.