<p>Authorities are searching for a leopard from the Bannerghatta forest that strayed into an apartment complex in South Bengaluru at least twice on Saturday. </p>.<p>CCTV footage of the Prestige Song of the South apartment, located off Koppa-Begur Road, shows the leopard straying in at early morning and late at night. </p>.<p>The first sighting was recorded at 5.23 am but the big cat left within seconds. It came back around 8.40 pm and was seen darting across the parking lot. </p>.<p>The visuals sent shockwaves through the sprawling apartment that’s just 300 metres from NICE Road and about 4 km from the periphery of the Bannerghatta Road. Forest officials rushed to the<br />apartment to reassure the anxious residents. </p>.<p>Ravishankar S S, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru Urban, confirmed the development and said KR Puram Range Forest Officer Shivaratreshwara was heading to the spot. “The RFO will stay there through the night to monitor the situation. We’ll take further action based on his report,” he said. </p>.<p>An official suspected that the leopard had strayed from the Bannerghatta forest in search of food. Citing the footage, the official said the leopard didn’t stay inside the apartment premises for more than three seconds. “As of now, we think the possibility of its return is remote. We will keep a watch on the area,” the official added. </p>.<p>After the first sighting, forest officials issued a general alert in the morning. But the second sighting prompted them to advise the residents against stepping out at night. Social media was abuzz with the news of the sighting with many users expressing shock and fear. Some said human activities in Bannerghatta had disturbed animals. </p>.<p>There was speculation that a cage would be placed to capture the animal but officials dismissed it. “There is no question of placing the cage as the animal has already left. It seems that the big cat missed its path at dawn and was retracing its way back to the forest. This doesn’t seem like a revisit. We have brought a tranquilliser in case it ventures into a residential area again,” another official said and dismissed reports that more than one leopard had visited the apartment. </p>.<p>In January, 17 goats and sheep were killed at Veerabhadra Nagar at Eeranna Gudde. Forest officials suspected two leopards were involved in the incident. </p>
<p>Authorities are searching for a leopard from the Bannerghatta forest that strayed into an apartment complex in South Bengaluru at least twice on Saturday. </p>.<p>CCTV footage of the Prestige Song of the South apartment, located off Koppa-Begur Road, shows the leopard straying in at early morning and late at night. </p>.<p>The first sighting was recorded at 5.23 am but the big cat left within seconds. It came back around 8.40 pm and was seen darting across the parking lot. </p>.<p>The visuals sent shockwaves through the sprawling apartment that’s just 300 metres from NICE Road and about 4 km from the periphery of the Bannerghatta Road. Forest officials rushed to the<br />apartment to reassure the anxious residents. </p>.<p>Ravishankar S S, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru Urban, confirmed the development and said KR Puram Range Forest Officer Shivaratreshwara was heading to the spot. “The RFO will stay there through the night to monitor the situation. We’ll take further action based on his report,” he said. </p>.<p>An official suspected that the leopard had strayed from the Bannerghatta forest in search of food. Citing the footage, the official said the leopard didn’t stay inside the apartment premises for more than three seconds. “As of now, we think the possibility of its return is remote. We will keep a watch on the area,” the official added. </p>.<p>After the first sighting, forest officials issued a general alert in the morning. But the second sighting prompted them to advise the residents against stepping out at night. Social media was abuzz with the news of the sighting with many users expressing shock and fear. Some said human activities in Bannerghatta had disturbed animals. </p>.<p>There was speculation that a cage would be placed to capture the animal but officials dismissed it. “There is no question of placing the cage as the animal has already left. It seems that the big cat missed its path at dawn and was retracing its way back to the forest. This doesn’t seem like a revisit. We have brought a tranquilliser in case it ventures into a residential area again,” another official said and dismissed reports that more than one leopard had visited the apartment. </p>.<p>In January, 17 goats and sheep were killed at Veerabhadra Nagar at Eeranna Gudde. Forest officials suspected two leopards were involved in the incident. </p>
