The Kerala Forest department has released a five-year-old female leopard deep into the forest after capturing it from a private farm at Kolathur village in Bedadka panchayat in Kasaragod district in the early hours on Monday (February 24, 2025).
According to the forest officials, multiple leopard sightings have been reported in the area since January, prompting the department to install cages at two locations based on public complaints.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) K. Ashraf said the leopard was trapped in a cage set up at a private farm at Perladukkam, ward no 17 of Bedadka panchayat. Officials had observed pug marks near a cave inside the farm, leading to suspect the animal’s presence. A trap was then installed using a dog as bait, successfully capturing the leopard around 9.30 p.m on Sunday.
Once news of the capture spread, a large crowd gathered at the site. Forest officials later transported the leopard away from the area and released it into the deep forest near the State border early on Monday.
Cage trap
Meanwhile, the Forest department has also placed a cage trap at Madanthakod in Bedadka panchayat, where another leopard had previously been caught in an illegal snare set for porcupines inside a spring cavity. However, the animal managed to escape before officials could tranquilise it.
Officials noted that leopard activity has been reported across multiple areas, including in Muliyar-Karadaka, Odayanchal in Kodom-Belur, Bedadka, Pullur-Periya and Chemanad panchayat.
Some of these locations are nearly 10 km from the forested region. The availability of prey, particularly dogs, as well as the presence of large rocky laterite caves, farms areas and vacant land provide suitable hideouts for leopards, they added.
