With the growing cases of leopard sightings in the city premises, every alarm these days is leading to panic cries as people fear the big cats’ attacks.
A similar incident gripped the hearts of Gachibowli residents after rumours surfaced of a leopard out in the open, seen on the night of Saturday near the Road Mistry College of Social Work and Research Centre.
While the night scene might have been a major factor towards the mistaken identity, it still sent chills down the spine of thousands of people who live in the nearby areas.
The situation was later calmed by forest officials who inspected the place and upon further probing of the adjoining areas, did not find any clues of a big cat. To track every possible inch of the surrounding, trap cameras were also placed which did not show the presence of any leopard but only stray dogs and monkeys.
As such, it is being suspected by the officers that the alert was made after spotting a dog which was mistaken for a leopard in front of the Biodiversity Park.
The ruckus took shape after a woman, who works at the college campus, alleged having seen a big cat roaming near the college. A team of forest officials hurried to the area of the sighting after this with the Chilkur range officer, section officer and anti-poaching staff.
Following a complete inspection of the surrounding of the claimed spot by the woman, the officers concluded no presence of the big cat due to absence of any footprints and other marks. However, the footprints of a dog were found from an old building on the campus.
According to the officials, a 15-acre land extends behind the old building which shelters monkeys, peacocks and dogs. This region has wild growth with small hills, often inhabited by the strays.
Upon receiving orders of senior officers, trap cameras were installed in this area to track the big cat, if it is in the locality. However, the results zeroed in on the presence of only stray dogs and monkeys, showing no leopard.
Speaking about the incident, the Chilkur Forest Range officer said that the cameras set up this time will be left at their designated locations to track the locomotive actions of animals in the area and to have a better insight in future incidents, “To allay the concerns of the local residents, we have decided to locate the trap cameras there only and monitor the movement of the animals.”
