Bhubaneswar: A wild cat was sighted outside the operational area of Biju Patnaik International Airport on Saturday, alarming the airport authorities.
To catch the animal, forest officials have set up a cage with bait (chicken) to capture the wild animal, which could pose a threat to aircraft if it enters the operational zone. In the past, the airport has seen wild cats, jackals, foxes, hyenas, and leopards being caught from the operational zone. “The animal looks like a cat and it is not in the operational area. However, the forest personnel are on the job to catch it for safety purposes,” said Airport director Prasanna Pradhan.
The City forest division has kept a watch in the evening as well on the animal around the place it was sighted. “Attracted by the bait, it may enter the cage and get trapped,” said a forest officer.
The presence of wild animals at the airport was first reported in 2012 by the airport officials. In Nov 2012, a wild cat was found trapped in the cage set up by the airport authority. In Sept 2013, a wild jackal was found in the operational areas. In June and July 2014, two jackals were found trapped in the cage.