Ahmedabad, Jul 20 (PTI) Panic gripped residents of a housing society in Ahmedabad when a leopard entered the area to hunt dogs late on Sunday night.
The big cat was captured on CCTV cameras, jumping the fence and entering a bungalow in Sharandeep Society in Ghuma locality on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. Unaware of the leopard lurking nearby, some individuals crossed its path. Fortunately, no untoward incident occurred.
After the video of the lurking leopard went viral on Monday morning, teams comprising personnel of the forest department and Kankaria zoo are trying to locate and capture the big cat, said Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF), Minal Jani.
“Teams from the Forest Department and Kankaria Zoo arrived at the site within an hour after the video began circulating this morning. The surrounding area is being scanned, and if the animal is found in the nearby residential zone, it will be captured and relocated to a safe place,” she said.
According to Jani, the leopard seemingly strayed into the residential complex while searching for food.
“It has returned to its natural habitat. Our team will continue to scan the area for the next week,” the DCF added.
Forest Department has set up three cages in the surrounding areas, and a drone will be used to locate the feline.
A local resident recalled that his son spotted the big cat late Sunday night.
“I was watching the FIFA final match late at night. I sent my son and daughter to buy some chips and paan from a shop outside the society at around 1:30 am. I received a call from my son, who told me he had seen a leopard. I alerted other residents,” he said.
The footprints of the leopard were spotted towards the gate of the society. CCTV cameras captured the big cat jumping from the clubhouse, residents said. PTI KA PD NSK
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