The leopard that had strayed into Nagpur’s IT park 4 days in the past continues to be believed to be holed up within the metropolis, with authorities failing to hint its location.
The leopard was first seen on Friday by two residents Of Gayatri Nagar locality. It had then jumped over the adjoining compound wall of Nationwide Energy Coaching Institute (NPT) from the home of one of many two residents. The Forest division had launched a seek for the feline however failed to seek out it. It had additionally put up entice cameras contained in the NPTI campus however no image of the animal was captured.
The leopard’s presence was confirmed by footage from CCTV cameras of one of many IT corporations.
There was no hint of the leopard even on Sunday. On Monday, nonetheless, it was seen by a safety guard close to the Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth (PDKV) campus, about four km away from NPTI. “The safety guard there mentioned the leopard had additionally attacked a canine however couldn’t kill it,” mentioned Nagpur Deputy Conservator of Forest Bharat Hada.
All through Monday, there was hypothesis in regards to the leopard hiding in a nullah surrounded by thick vegetation close to Maharaj Bagh Zoo. However the officers couldn’t hint it there both.
On Tuesday, a staffer from the Taluka Agriculture Officer’s workplace, adjoining to the zoo, knowledgeable the Forest division {that a} leopard had most likely killed a pig close to the workplace and eaten it too. “We noticed the pig carcass nevertheless it didn’t seem to be the kill of a leopard, as a few of our skilled staffers have informed us. Additionally it is doable that the pig could have been killed by stray canine,” Hada mentioned. “However we aren’t ruling out any risk,” he added.
Requested how the animal might have made its approach as much as the zoo, Hada mentioned, “The areas via which it handed are all related by a nullah and the leopard is more likely to have used it to achieve the zoo space. All these areas, together with the Visvesvaraya Nationwide Institute of Know-how located adjoining to NPTI, have giant forest-like vegetation unfold over a number of hectares, providing the leopard secure hiding locations.”
The Forest division has deployed entice cameras and cages on the areas the place the animal is believed to have visited. A number of groups have additionally been positioned in these areas for night time patrol.