BENGALURU: A leopard strayed into a school inside the city on Sunday, and eluded forest personnel for 10 hours before it was finally captured.
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It did not fall into their hands easily, though. It slipped away into a farm, hid in a toilet, and leapt out spectacularly when they zeroed in on it. When it faced a rain of tranquilliser shots, it turned aggressive and broke free, felling and scratching six men.
The day-long drama took place at Vibgyor High in Marathahalli, a bustling neighbourhood with occasional green fields. No students were at the school, Sunday being a holiday.
According to Ravi Ralf, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), the eight-year-old male leopard came in from a forest near Whitefield. After it was sedated, it was moved to the Bannerghatta National Park, where officials are discussing its relocation.
Dawn Action
CCTV footage shows the leopard entering the school at 4.13 am. The school authorities took note of it around 9.45 am, and alerted the Forest Department and the police. Two teams were formed, and began looking at the footage. Officials found that the leopard had tiptoed out of the school building at 7.45 am.
Suspecting the beast was still around somewhere, the team placed two cages inside the school and cordoned off the campus.
Personnel from the Bannerghatta National Park arrived to tranquillise the animal, while wildlife experts discussed strategies to capture it. Around noon, the animal was spotted lurking in an adjoining farm. In a flash, it streaked into the school, and entered a toilet.
At 4.30 pm, the team advanced towards the toilet, shooting tranquilliser darts. The leopard leapt out and ran towards the swimming pool, shoving aside wildlife expert Sanjay Gubbi, photographer Santosh and two others. The animal was finally captured at 6 pm.
School Closed
Roshan D’Souza, principal of Vibgyor High, said classes would reopen only after the school received a clearance from the authorities.
“The safety and security of our children is of paramount importance,” he said, taking pride in the school’s security monitoring detecting the presence of the animal.
Shrinking Habitat
In the last three years, big cats have been sighted in Whitefield, NICE Road junction (Kanakpura Road), Kengeri, and Tavarekere. The Whitefield area gets such visits often, and big cats have entered apartment complexes and schools. Wildlife experts say Bengaluru is rapidly expanding and taking away the traditional habitats of big cats.
Wildlife conservationists warn against relocating captured animals far from their home ranges. They have been urging the government to cry halt to encroachments on wildlife habitats, and seeking campaigns to educate people to keep their surroundings clean and free from garbage.
BIG CAT CAPTURED AMID HIGH DRAMA
4.13 am: CCTV footage captures a leopard strolling inside the building of Vibgyor High
7.45 am: Footage shows feline roaming outside school
9.45 am: School authorities alert forest and police personnel
3.30 pm: People spot leopard in the nearby plantation; it runs back into school
4.30 pm: During attempts to tranquillise the animal, six people suffer injuries
6 pm: Leopard is captured