Thane: Forest officials launch search for leaopard spotted near Kalyan

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In Thane district, concerns arose as a leopard was captured on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera at Kamba-Varap village along the Kalyan-Murbad road during the night between Wednesday and Thursday, stated a PTI report.

An official statement issued on Friday by the forest officials confirmed the sighting and stated that immediate action has been launched to locate the big cat.

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According to the report, the CCTV footage hoisted on the premises of a private power company, recorded a leopard roaming near the residential area following which the officials quickly launched a search for the wild animal.

However, the report added that despite their concerted efforts, the forest department officials could not trace the location of the leopard until 6 am on Thursday.

Raghunath Channe, the Kalyan Range Forest officer, told the news agency that they have issued an advisory for residents of Jambul, Ambernath, Nalimbi, Rayte, Kamba and Patarpada villages to remain vigilant following the big cat's sighting.

Earlier this year, a leopard was sighted in Marol and a few days after the incident, the big cat was spotted on the terrace of a bungalow in Malad East surfaced. The sighting scared residents of areas surrounding the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

Initially, the leopard was sighted near New Dindoshi Royal Hills Co-operative Society which houses 77 bungalows built by MHADA in 2005. Nearly 500 residents inhabit the housing society.

The sighting prompted the local representative Sunil Prabhu to write a letter to forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar asking him to instruct the forest department to take appropriate measures. The MLA had also written that the families staying in the area were scared and that the sightings of leopards had relatively increased then.

Meanwhile, in July, another leopard sighting was reported from sets of a studio in Goregaon's Film City. Reportedly, the staff had also spotted partially eaten carcass of a dog which created panic among them.

A video of the incident also surfaced on social media wherein the leopard is seen taking a stroll around the sets in Film City. For the unversed, Film City, which is also a tourist attraction, is located on the boundary of Sanjay Gandhi National Park which is home to the leopards and also abuts Aarey milk Colony, a forest area within the city.