Leopard scare grips two Patiala villages
Neeraj Gupta, the district wildlife officer and director of Chattbir Zoo, said that the big cat was last spotted at Baran village,located on the outskirts of Patiala, but has remained elusive since then.
Residents of two Patiala villages are feeling the shivers after a leopard that was sighted five days ago could not be trapped despite intensive efforts of the Punjab wildlife department and the district administration.
The big cat was first spotted near the Bhakhra canal close to Kheri Gandian village in Rajpura block on August 21. On Sunday evening, the animal was seen again at Baran village in Patiala rural block. The Baran village is located on the outskirts of Patiala, along the Patiala-Sirhind highway.
The distance between the two villages is around 25km, officials of the state wildlife department said.
However, since Monday morning, no sighting of the big cat was reported.
Neeraj Gupta, the district wildlife officer and director of Chattbir Zoo, said: “The leopard was last spotted at Baran village but has remained elusive since then.”
“Our rapid rescue teams are actively surveying the area to tranquilise and rescue the leopard. A veterinary team from Chattbir Zoo is also stationed round the clock. The animal has escaped into nearby millet fields from Baran village making it difficult for the department to trace,” Gupta explained.
He informed that drones have also been deployed to track the leopard’s movements. The authorities have ramped up the search operation.
As panic gripped among local people, Gupta reassured them that the leopard has not posed any direct threat to humans or crops. “The cat has not attacked any human or destroyed crops so far. This suggests that the leopard is surviving by hunting smaller animals,” he said.
Meanwhile, residents have expressed concern over the lack of information from the authorities.
Professor Kesar Bhangu, a resident of Omaxe City, a residential area located a few kilometers from Baran village, voiced his frustration over lack of information about the wild cat from the authorities.
“We have been seeing videos of the leopard on social media, but we have not been officially informed by the authorities. There has been no public notice or alert from the district administration advising residents of the do’s and don’ts,” Bhangu said.