Motorists on the Ooty-Manjoor hilly route sighted two leopards crossing the road one after the other and managed to capture the rare sight on their mobile phones.
The Nilgiris: The Nilgiris district's 67 percent forest cover is home to leopards, bears, bisons, wild elephants and many other wildlife. In the last few days, incidents of wild animals leaving the forest area and straying close to human settlements have been on the rise.
During the day, the wild animals which live in the forest tend to stray outside the forest cover and move toward human settlements in rural areas in search of food, at night. Due to this, there have been frequent reports of motorists passing through the Nilgiris' mountain routes sighting bears and leopards.
On Monday night, motorists spotted two leopards crossing the road one after the other, on the hilly route from Ooty to Manjoor.
The motorists in the car recorded a video of the leopard movement on their mobile phones. The video has since gone viral on social media and created a stir in Nilgiris district. The Forest Department has advised motorists passing by the hilly roads to travel with great caution.