A LEOPARD sighting inside a bathroom at a house in the area adjoining the IT Park on Friday has caused panic. The forest department said the family reported noticing the big cat inside their bathroom. This is the first sighting of a leopard well inside the city, and authorities suspect that sparse public movement due to lockdown may have prompted it.
A press note issued by the forest department said, “A family in Gayatri Nagar area, adjoining the IT park, noticed the leopard in their bathroom. Purushottam Chakole, the family head, immediately shut all doors and windows and raised an alarm. The leopard then jumped onto the courtyard of the neighbouring house. The residents of that house too saw the leopard and raised an alarm. The leopard then jumped back into the bathroom of the first house, and from there inside the premises of the adjoining National Power Training Institute (NPTI).”
“Barring Jagtap and Chakole, no one sighted the leopard. We saw unclear pugmark on the bathroom roof and also some scrape marks. The area falls under the Hingna forest range and teams from Hingna and Transit Treatment Centre (TTC), Seminary Hills, also reached the spot. Both the teams scanned the entire residential area and NPTI, but the leopard was not found,” said Kale.
Speaking to Nagpur Today PI Thosre said, “Pratap Nagar Police Station received information regarding a leopard that was spotted at plot no 47/127 of Gayatri Nagar behind IT Park at around 10:30. Acting swiftly on the inputs, cops alerted Forest Department. The squad of Pratap Nagar cops and Forest Department then rushed to the spot. However, leopard escaped the premises, leaving footprints on the site,” the PI said.
Deputy conservator of forest (DyCF) Dr Bharatsinh Hada said residents and security personnel at NPTI have been alerted. “We have also deployed six camera traps on the premises to track the animal. Besides, the roadside CCTV footage will also be cross-checked to find out from where the leopard entered the area. Our team will keep a continuous watch till the leopard is driven out,” he said.
Ajinkya Bhatkar, district honorary wildlife warden, said, “We have appealed to people not to panic but remain alert all the time. The leopard is a shy animal and will not harm humans until we block its way. It must have lost its way and will leave the place on its own during the night. The forest rescue team is well equipped to deal with the situation.”
On December 5, 2019, a leopard from the Gorewada reserve forest on Katol Road was sighted in Ambazari Biodiversity Park by a forest labourer. The leopard was there in Ambazari for three days and was caught in camera while hunting a wild boar.
