Leopard spotted in Udgir town; search operation launched

A leopard was found loitering around a fort in Udgir town of Maharashtras Latur district on Friday prompting the forest authorities to initiate measures to capture it reported the PTIThe feline was captured on a CCTV camera installed outside a local residents house located close to the Udgir fort around 520 am an official saidAfter being informed about the leopard sighting the forest department is taking steps to capture it Forest personnel have been deployed in and around Udgir town Local residents have been advised to stay alert avoid staying overnight in fields and ensure that children do not step out alone Assistant Conservator of Forests V B Tambe said according to the PTIIf the leopard is seen the residents must immediately inform the local authorities and refrain from chasing the animal he saidThe forest as well as police departments have formed teams for patrolling he addedA leopard was spotted near Udgir Fort in Maharashtras Latur district on Friday captured on CCTV around 520 am Forest authorities have deployed personnel drones and patrol teams to locate the animal Residents have been advised to stay alert avoid staying in fieldshellip pictwittercomhfpPXtr4KSmdash Mid Day mid_day November 29 2024A Range Forest Officer RFO three rangers six forest guards and 20 watchmen have been deployed in the area and a hunt for the animal is underway using drone cameras the official saidInjured leopard rescued in WagholiMeanwhile in an another incident last month an injured leopard was sighted near the PuneNagar highway in Wagholi prompting swift action from the Pune Forest Department and RESQ Charitable TrustThe leopard initially observed limping on a CCTV footage captured near a sports branding store Wagholi was promptly identified as a large carnivore whose injury compromised its ability to hunt thus increasing the risk of further human interaction and potential accidents in the areaThe first video received at 455 am and recorded by the Decathlon security guard showed the leopard near a commercial areaActing quickly RESQ team members Vaishnavi Bhangare and Aijaz Shaikh along with Forest Guard Balasaheb Jivade deployed camera traps at 1030 am to monitor the animals movementsMeanwhile at around 1 pm additional CCTV footage confirmed the leopardrsquos limp corroborating concerns about its compromised health and potential danger in an urban environmentRecognising the need for immediate intervention a second team from RESQ joined the team on the field and two cage traps were set up by 530 pm After continued monitoring the leopard was successfully captured in one of the trap cages and RESQ personnel carefully transported the leopard to the Transit Treatment Centre in Bavdhan for a thorough medical examination and appropriate carewith PTI inputs