Chamarajanagar
In a bizarre and frightening incident that shocked villagers, a man was accidentally trapped inside a leopard capture cage for nearly four hours near Gangavadi village in Yelandur of Chamarajanagar district.
The incident followed a leopard attack, when the big cat strayed into farmland belonging to Ramaiah at Gangavadi and killed three livestock animals. The attack triggered panic among villagers, who feared further movement of the leopard in and around the village.
Responding to the situation, local MLA A. R. Krishnamurthy visited the affected area and instructed the Karnataka Forest Department to take immediate steps to capture the leopard. Acting swiftly, forest officials installed two leopard cages on Sunday—one in Ramaiah’s farmland and another in the isolated agricultural land of Rudra, located far from the village and rarely frequented by people.
At around 10:30 a.m., Kitti, a resident of Gangavadi, went alone to inspect the cage placed in Rudra’s field. Driven by curiosity, he stepped inside the cage to take a closer look. Moments later, the cage door slammed shut behind him, trapping him inside. To make matters worse, Kitti did not have a mobile phone with him, leaving him unable to call for help.
Terrified and confused, Kitti shouted continuously, hoping someone would hear his cries. However, fear of the leopard kept farmers, shepherds, and cattle grazers away from the area, and his calls for help went unheard for hours. Trapped inside the metal cage under the scorching sun, he endured intense anxiety, unsure if or when help would arrive.
It was only around 2:30 p.m. that a group of farmers and cattle grazers passing through the area noticed movement inside the cage from a distance. Summoning courage, they approached cautiously and were stunned to find Kitti trapped inside. They immediately informed Rudraiah, the landowner, and with the help of villagers, opened the cage and rescued him safely.
Fortunately, Kitti escaped without any injuries, bringing relief to his family and the village. The incident, though ending safely, has served as a stark reminder of the dangers of venturing near wildlife traps and the risks curiosity can sometimes pose.
Forest officials later cautioned residents to stay away from animal traps installed for wildlife capture and urged the public to inform authorities instead of approaching such installations on their own.