The leopard, identified as a five-year-old male, was tranquilized and captured on January 22, 2026 at around 8:30 p.m. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The Karnataka Forest Department has captured a leopard believed to be responsible for the death of a pilgrim in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
On January 21, a leopard attacked a devotee near the Rangaswamy Vaddu leading to the MM Hills temple around 5:45 am. The victim, Praveen (35), a resident of Mandya district, sustained injuries that claimed his life. His body was found about 100 meters from the site.
After the incident, the forest department launched a massive operation involving more than 40 personnel, including wildlife experts, veterinarians, trained trackers and drone surveillance teams. As a precautionary measure, the district administration has imposed a temporary ban on padayatra for devotees and two-wheeler movement on hill roads leading to the temple from January 21 evening to January 24 evening.
Using drone tracking and ground tracking, the forest team tracked the movement of the animal. Two cages and camera traps were placed at the site. The leopard, identified as a five-year-old male, was tranquilized and captured on January 22 around 8:30 p.m.
Forest officials said the animal was found in good health.
Based on analysis of stripe patterns and drone visuals, experts from the Tiger Cell at Aranya Bhavan in Bengaluru confirmed that the captured leopard was involved in the fatal attack. The leopard was taken to the Chamundi Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Koorgalli for further observation as directed by senior forest officials.
Following the attack, Minister in-charge of Chamarajanagar K. Venkatesh called an emergency meeting in Chamarajanagar on January 22. He directed the forest officials to take the incident with utmost seriousness and strengthen measures to prevent wildlife attacks on people. He stressed that similar incidents should not be repeated in the future.
Published – 23 Jan 2026 16:26 IST
