Tirumala leopard attack: Kids below 15 years of age prohibited from Alipiri, Srivari Mettu routes after 2 pm

Tirumala: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has decided not to allow children below 15 years of age to trek through the Alipiri and Srivari Mettu routes after 2 pm in Tirumala from August 13, Sunday. Children will be allowed only from 5 am to 2 pm only.

TTD police are now giving security tags for children who are trekking with their parents on Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian route. Tags are given at 7th Mile. These tags will help to track the location if the child is missing.

The TTD management has also decided that two-wheelers will only be allowed from 6 am to 6 pm on both ghat roads. These two decisions will remain until further orders from the TTD board.

These decisions come a day after a six-year-old girl died from a leopard attack, while she was climbing the steps on the Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian route.

In a statement, the TTD has appealed to the devotees to extend their cooperation in the larger interests of the pilgrim devotees till the issue is resolved.

Two children attacked

The most recent attack occurred on August 12. A family from the Nellore district, walking on the Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian route on Friday afternoon, realised that six-year-old Sasikala was missing from the group. She was accompanying her father Dinesh and mother to the temple town. She was found dead on Saturday early morning with animal attack injuries on her body near Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple area.

In another incident, on June 24, 2022, a three-year-old boy was attacked and dragged by a leopard near the 7th mile along the Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian route. Fortunately, the TTD personnel managed to rescue the boy alive in time.

TTD tightens security measures

Among the many safety measures implemented by TTD in light of the attacks, it allotted a security guard to accompany every 100 devotees along the pedestrian routes.

Nearly 500 CC cameras are going to be installed from Gali Gopuram to Lakshmi Narasimha Swami temple for better surveillance. Also, the officials are chalking out plans to build fences on both sides of the pedestrian routes, and look for an alternative path for the movement of animals in the forest area.

The movement of leopards have been sighted at five places that includes three places near Alipiri to Galigopuram, at Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy(LNS) temple and at the 38th Turning last night.

Chief Conservator of Forest Nageswara Rao said that the forest department along with trained personnel has already kept two cages ready on a 24x7 basis, and tranquilisers are also ready to subdue and catch the predator.

A week ago, a bear was spotted on the Alipiri-Tirumala pedestrian trail in Tirupati near the deer park at around 1 am. The video went viral on social media.