Fake messages about leopard movement in Erode abound, Forest Dept warns rumour-mongers

Forest Dept. warns against false info on leopard in Erode; seven teams patrol villages round-the-clock. Dept. urges public to alert them if they spot animal or its marks. Rumours of leopard spotted near Thindal Murugan temple false; audio messages & video from Udaipur, Rajasthan. Dept. cautions against sharing inauthentic messages & warns of action against those spreading false info.

With messages widely circulated on social media platforms that claim a leopard was spotted on the road near the Thindal Murugan temple in Erode on the night of Sunday, November 5, 2023, the Forest Department has once again asked people not to believe in rumours and has warned of action against those spreading false information.

The Department is making efforts to locate and trap a leopard that is believed to have been killing cattle in the Arachalur and Perundurai areas of Erode district. The animal was recently caught on camera. Since then however, rumours about it have abounded on social media platforms, with the Department having issued an earlier warning too, asking residents not to spread false rumours.

On Monday, November 6, two audio messages along with a video were circulated on social media about the spotting of a leopard, causing panic among residents. The voice message, by a man, warned people not to get out of their cars at night, as the leopard was allegedly moving across the district. The man claimed that people were warned by government officials on a public address system about the leopard’s movements, and asked taxi drivers to share this message widely.

The issue was taken up with Forest Department officials who checked the video and found that it was from Udaipur in Rajasthan. They also clarified that neither the leopard nor its pug marks have been spotted in the past two weeks in the Erode forest division, and maintained that the animal’s whereabouts were unknown at present. Seven teams however, are patrolling villages where it is believed to have entered, round-the-clock.

The Department has asked people not to share inauthentic messages on the leopard and have warned people against posting fake messages.

Members of the public have been asked to alert the Forest Department if they spot the animal or find its marks. They can contact in Arachalur: Duraisamy (99435-72298); Vaipadi and Vijayamangalam: Ramasamy (99767-23071); Vellode: Praveen (99444-42284); Erode and Nasiyanur: Santhosh (99444-41565); Bhavani and Chithode: Alagirisamy (99659-66807) and Chennimalai (99659-41462).