A wave of protests erupted in Kollam after forest department officials secretly released a captured leopard in the Achenkovil forest instead of the initially planned Ranni forest reserve. Angry local residents in Piravanthur blocked returning foresters on Sunday, demanding assurances regarding public safety.

The leopard, which was successfully trapped at Alimukku in Piravanthur, was scheduled to be relocated to the deep forests of Ranni. However, forest officials were forced to alter their route due to heavy rains and dense fog, which made travelling into the Ranni forest highly hazardous. Faced with worsening weather, the team decided to divert and release the leopard in the Achenkoor forest under the cover of night.

Stuck in the mud
The secret operation ran into trouble when the forest department vehicles got trapped in deep mud on their way back from the dense forest. Due to the torrential rain, it took the officials until Monday afternoon to pull their vehicles out and reach the main road.

Locals block returning foresters
As the forest personnel made their way back, local residents spotted the empty cage and realised the predator had been released in their vicinity. Fearing that the leopard would easily wander into local residential areas and pose a grave risk to human lives and livestock, villagers gathered in large numbers to block the vehicles. The tense standoff was eventually resolved after senior officials promised that such unilateral decisions would not be repeated, and a DFO-level all-party meeting would be organised to address the public's concerns.