BENGALURU: While the forest department’s elephant task force is known for its khedda operation (elephant capture), little is known of the leopard task force (LTF) constituted in January to capture leopards after four human deaths were reported in T Narasipura in Mysuru.
With a team of 46 members, including forest officials and contract staff, the LTF has attended to over 500 calls to capture and rescue wild leopards from February 1 to date.
The team has also rescued, rehabilitated and relocated 46 leopards since its formation in Mysuru and Mandya, 15 of which were cubs.
The team, constituted during former CM Basavaraj Bommai’s regime, was introduced for Mysuru and Mandya jurisdiction, but over the months, it has received calls from Ramanagara, Bhadravathi, Chamarajpet and now, Bengaluru.
The team comprises range forest officers, beat staffers, deputy range forest officers and other staffers.
While the jurisdictional teams of the forest department (territorial and wildlife) have regular duties, the special team takes over rescue operations, as in Bengaluru.
Mysuru Deputy Conservator of Forests, LTF head, Saurabh Kumar told TNIE the team has special GPS cameras, night and guns, and special equipment to capture leopards.
The team first engages with the jurisdictional staff to understand the terrain and ground situation and within hours, get acclimatised to operate independently, he said.
Kumar added that once a leopard is captured, a thorough medical examination and body scan are conducted, after which a microchip is inserted in the leopard to track its movement. The ear is also notched as a mark of identification for forest staffers and camera traps.
A database of all captured leopards is being maintained, he said.
“We are asking other jurisdictions to follow the same procedure and share data. We are also creating unique IDs for each captured leopard, just as for tigers,” he added.
The team is trained to undertake the capture and rescue operations of leopards and is acquiring additional skills with each case.
The team is trained in tracking, setting up cages and camera traps, said an LTF member.