The leopard's movements were caught on CCTV cameras in the area. The animal had reportedly attacked a goat at Vembaiyapuram village in the district.

Tamil Nadu forest department officials reached the spot and kept a trap cage in a village adjacent to the Papanasam forest range in which the leopard walked in. According to officials, the animal would be released deep inside the forests.

Muthusamy, a paddy farmer in Vembaiyapuram, told , "We came to know that the forest department has trapped the leopard. A goat was attacked by the big cat on Friday. We were worried as we all have cattle. We had complained to the Tirunelveli district authorities to catch the leopard."