Leopard attack on cow near Hasanur sparks new fear among villagers

A cow was found dead on the roadside after a suspected leopard attack near Hasanur in Thalavadi taluk on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The dead animal was discovered along National Highway 948, which is the Dindigul to Mysuru highway passing through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. The cow had been left to graze near the edge of the reserve forest when the incident happened.

Past Incidents

This latest event has brought back strong fears among local residents about wild animals coming into their villages. Earlier, a local man named V. Periyasamy of Bungalow Thotti was killed by a leopard near a stream on the forest edges on October 4. After that tragedy, forest officials had increased their watch in the area and set up cages at two places to catch the dangerous animal.

Recent Captures

Forest workers trapped two one-year-old leopard cubs near Bunk Thottam on October 22. The next morning on October 23, they caught a five to six-year-old male leopard at P.K.P.N. Thottam. A forest doctor checked all three animals, found them healthy, and set them free deep inside the thick forest.

Public Demand

Even though those three animals were caught and released last month, villagers worry that more leopards are still coming out of the forest to hunt. The fact that this cow was attacked in the daytime has made people even more anxious. Residents now want the Forest Department to step up night patrols and take stronger steps to keep their grazing farm animals safe.

Context

National Highway 948 cuts directly through the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, creating busy traffic zones right next to wild animal habitats. When forests and human settlements sit right next to each other, wild predators often look near village borders for easy prey like farm animals. Forest departments usually catch and move big cats back into deeper woods when they start coming too close to human homes.