BENGALURU: Three days after news broke of the sighting of a wild leopard in Singasandra, AECS Layout, the forest department officials have deployed five teams to comb the area in shifts. On Monday, four cages were also kept at strategic locations to capture the leopard.
According to forest department officials, the leopard was sighted on October 27 night on CCTV camera footage of an apartment complex. There have been no sightings on October 28, 29 and 30 (till late in the evening).
“There has been no direct sighting or even pug marks. It is only the CCTV footage that we have. The teams have been deployed in the same location, spread across 10 acres of abandoned land. The teams have been combing the abandoned land and surrounding areas for the last two days,” said the chief conservator of forests, Bengaluru, Lingaru, to The New Indian Express.
He added that the location, where the leopard was seen, is around 8 km away from Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), which is an abode for leopards. It is possible that the animal could have strayed out of the forests, in search of prey and could have returned to the forests after that. However, to avoid any untoward incidents, all measures are being taken.
A team of veterinarians from Bannerghatta Biological Park have also been deployed to the location to look for signs and assistance. The officials suspect that it is a male leopard. No sign of killing stray dogs has been made so far. “However the age of the leopard cannot be ascertained,” the official said.
The department officials are also making repeated announcements through loudspeakers, by walking and through patrolling vehicles, warning and cautioning people, not to venture out alone late in the night and to be watchful.
They are also advised to dial 1926 in case of any sighting or emergency.
However, citizens are not convinced. They are demanding that the leopard be captured. They are also circulating messages and videos on multiple social media groups of leopards walking into apartment complexes near car parking and in apartment lobbies. Forest department officials however said that they are old ones and not genuine.
“There is a video circulating of the leopard being chased by stray dogs. That is the one which we have obtained from the apartment complex. The leopard is seen at 2:30 a.m. and then disappears by 2.35 a.m. After that there is no sign of the leopard,” the forest staffers said.
"That needs to be verified,” said the forest department official on ground duty.
The officials added that even though the area is close to BNP, this is the first time a leopard has been sighted in this region. Earlier, the sighting was in Begur, behind a private apartment complex in a large abandoned quarry site.