Leopard trapped in cage kept for O’Valley tiger, released back into forest

The leopard that was trapped in a cage set for the elusive tiger in Gudalur. A leopard was trapped in one of the cages placed to capture the tiger that is suspected to have killed two persons in Lauriston in O’Valley. The leopard was trapped in a cage placed between the Gudalur forest division and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve on Wednesday, following which it was released into a reserve forest safely.This is the second leopard that has accidentally been captured in one of the 14 cages placed to trap the tiger since operations to capture the animal began on August 21. Both animals were safely released back into the wild away from human habitations, officials said.On Thursday, searches for the tiger in ranges bordering Gudalur forest division, including Naduvattam, were intensified, with caves and rocky crevices being searched for signs of the tiger in Gudalur and Singara forest ranges as well.Forest officials confirmed that no sightings of the tiger have been recorded in the past few weeks.The Divisional Forest Officer (Gudalur division) conducted a review meeting on Wednesday to review the measures being undertaken to capture the animal. Published - September 17, 2026 08:26 pm IST