A leopard has struck in a human habitation in the early hours of Monday — the BTR Colony in Mangalam village skirting the Tirumala hills on the outskirts of the city. As news of a goat being mauled to death spread, panic-stricken residents of the colony, which was earlier an extended jungle abutting the reserve forest, made a beeline to the spot and saw the carcass lying amid bushes.

Forest officials, however, believe that it must be a different animal frequenting the area between Kapila Theertham and Karakambadi Reserve Forests and not the one sighted on the trekking route.

Chief Conservator of Forests (Tirupati Wildlife Management Circle) P. Mallikharjuna Rao has also rejected the residents' plea to erect a trap cage to catch the big cat, indicating that it was moving only in the sanctuary area, which is its own habitat. “The leopard is not moving into the human habitation, but it is the other way round,” he said, “mere presence of a leopard is no cause for alarm.” However, he cautioned the residents against venturing into the deep woods.

The media, which has been religiously reporting ‘movements' of the leopard for the past few days, dashed off to the colony and started airing the news live, adding to the chaos. The media also reported sighting of a leopard near the GNC area (entry point to Tirumala hills) and another one near Srivarimettu and Bhakarapet ghat, both on the Tirupati-Anantapur highway. The first leopard was found to be the one eluding capture, given the spot's proximity to the areas where its pugmarks were found earlier. While the TTD has restricted the movement of trekkers during nights, the residents of Mangalam too have been asked to stay indoors during nights.