Leopard spotted on Tirumala pedestrian route, TTD alerts security staff

TIRUMALA: After a gap of almost ten months a leopard was spotted on the Tirumala pedestrian route by the forest rangers of the Seshachalam forest. The leopard was spotted by the cameras arranged by the forest department to track the movement of the felines and other wild animals.

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While the TTD has alerted its security wing to increase vigilance on the two walkways Alipiri and Srivari Mettu that devotees use to reach the Tirumala temple, devotees were also cautioned against trekking all alone on the hills. The forest officials believe that the incessant heat and shortage of water might have driven the leopard towards the walkway where leftover food and drinking water would be available.

It was in June 2023 that a leopard attacked a three-year-old boy at mile seven. But in August 2023 six-year-old Lakshitha was attacked and killed by a leopard near Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple. Later the TTD started issuing sticks to devotees trekking the Alipiri route and made them walk in groups to deter the predators from attacking the humans.