Mumbai: Leopard caught in Aarey Milk Colony

Forest officials placed traps to capture the leopard and were tracking its activities through camera. (Representational image)

A three-and-a-half-year-old male leopard, suspected to be behind several attacks on children, was captured in Film City on Thursday morning, forest officials said. The leopard was captured in a trap near the Helipad at Aarey Milk Colony.

“We took the animal to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) ,where it is being examined by doctors. They will decide what we should do with it after thoroughly examining its physical and behavioural health,” said Jitendra Ramgaonkar, the Deputy Conservator of Forest.

According to forest officials, the leopard had killed a two-year-old at Aarey Milk Colony in July when the child was walking with his father. The animal is suspected to have attacked three other toddlers in and around Aarey.

Forest officials placed traps to capture the leopard and were tracking its activities through camera.

The leopard has been captured after nearly 45 days. “The leopard had been attacking people since April. We were tracking its movements through camera and are sure it is the same leopard,” added Ramgaonkar.

Speaking about the recent increase in the number of man-animal conflict in the area, he added: “The area has always had leopards but they rarely attack humans. But sometimes, the animals tend to create problems due to some behavioural issues.”