Forest officials expand search for animal linked to Hasanur death

India’s Forest Department has intensified efforts to identify and track an animal suspected of killing a daily-wage worker near Hasanur in Erode district. Officials have installed camera traps at four locations, deployed drones and increased night patrols in areas along the forest boundary. The measures follow the discovery of the partially consumed body of V.

Periyasamy, 36, near a stream on Sunday morning. Periyasamy was from Bungalow Thotti, one of the villages bordering the Hasanur Range of the Hasanur Forest Division in the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. The Forest Department has not confirmed which animal was involved.

Residents have said they believe the attacker was a leopard, citing a series of cattle deaths in nearby villages. They have also raised concerns about wild animals moving close to human settlements and have sought closer monitoring of vulnerable areas. Yogesh Kumar Garg, deputy director of the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and district forest officer for the Hasanur division, said the surveillance was intended to monitor animal movement and track the animal involved in the death.

A veterinary doctor has been placed on standby to respond to emergencies and follow the prescribed standard operating procedure, Garg said. Forest officials have advised residents of Centre Thotti, Arepalayam, Ongalwadi, Hasanur and Bungalow Thotti not to go outside after sunset. A liquor shop in the area was also asked to close before 7 p.m.

Forest staff provided residents with mobile phone numbers to use in an emergency. The death has renewed demands from forest-fringe communities for prompt action when wild animals are seen near homes and for stronger measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Officials continue to investigate while the species involved remains unconfirmed.