Bhopal: Leopard was spotted in Shahpura, Trilanga and nearby locality on intervening night of Thursday-Friday. CCTV footage shows the movement of big cat and on the basis of it, forest department has instructed for strong fencing. Teams have been constituted for night patrolling. Even cage will be placed to catch the big cat.
As video went viral, it triggered panic in residential areas in the said pockets. DFO HS Mishra said, “CCTV footage shows the movement of leopard. I have instructed for proper fencing of nearby forest areas which have been found damaged. For safety point of view, I have instructed for it.”
CCF SP Tiwari said, “We have constituted forest teams for night patrolling where movement of leopard has been captured in CCTV footage. In fact, leopard kill dogs so for it, it keeps on moving. From Water & Land Management Institute (WALMI) to Kaliasot and Shahpura, it is forest type areas so there always has been chance of such animals for prey.
On Saturday, we will place cage to catch it.” Earlier, Leopard was spotted at main gate of Raja Bhoj Airport in November, 2018. It allegedly entered through Raksha Vihar Colony. A tiger was also spotted in premises of the National Judicial Academy, located close to Kerwa and another tiger was captured from the Nabibagh-based Institute for Agriculture Engineering.
Population of big cats swelled around the Kaliasot-Kerwa-Kolar reservoirs axis, a stretch of forest measuring about 60 sq km that falls under the jurisdiction of three forest divisions-Bhopal, Sehore and Raisen. While one end of this forest is connected to the Ratapani sanctuary, the other end of this forest stretch merges with a densely populated residential area of the expanding city of Bhopal along the Kolar road and the Kerwa area.