HYDERABAD: A leopard was sighted on the premises of Hyderabad international airport at Shamshabad in the city’s suburbs, late on Sunday night. The officials of Telangana Forest Department visited the airport on Monday morning to analyse CCTV footage in which the animal’s movement were captured.
The Forest Department sources told Express that they received a complaint from the airport authorities that a leopard was spotted on Sunday night at two places — near the cargo area and close to the runway. The CCTV footage shows the leopard moving along a boundary wall and then leaping over it. The big cat may have gone towards the adjacent locality of Rasheedguda. Sighting of the leopard has come as a surprise to the Forest Department.
It may be mentioned here that a leopard, which moving in and around Shamshabad forest range, was captured near Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute campus in Rajendranagar last October. It was later released into the Amrabad Tiger Reserve.
While wild boars and other small mammals have been spotted earlier on the airport premises and its surroundings, it was probably the first time that a leopard was sighted at the airport. However, neither the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad nor the Telangana Forest Department released any official statement on the matter.
Enough prey for leopard to survive
Meanwhile, an official of the Forest Department said: “The area around the airport has enough availability of prey and water for a leopard to survive. The animal must have moved ahead from there. After the Sunday night’s sighting, we did not receive anymore reports of leopard sighting.”When asked if the area inside Hyderabad international airport will be monitored, the official said: “The airport is a high security private property. We cannot enter and set up camera traps or a cage unless the airport asks us to do so. We did not receive any such request from the airport.”