Now, Kengeri residents spot leopard in backyard

A young leopard has become a regular visitor to several places at Bheemanakuppe in Kengeri over the last three months, leaving residents in fear.

Forest officials said the wild cat's visit was directly related to quarry and construction activities in the nearby area.

The incident comes just days after the department captured a leopard from near an apartment in Begur, South Bengaluru.

The Kaggalipura Range of forest in Bengaluru Urban district has been a challenge for officials for years due to the overlap of agriculture, scrub forests as well as regular forest areas. The incessant mining activities in the area have compounded the matter.

"We have been dealing with the problem for the last three months. Two cages have been placed but the animal remains elusive. Pugmarks were found very close to the cage several times. They were spotted four days ago too," a forest official said.

The cages are placed in Kolur off Chikkanahalli Road as well as in Bheemanakuppe. Officials believe that the same animal is being spotted in both places. Four days ago, the leopard was spotted again just a few metres from a house.

"We are getting calls almost daily. The animal has remained elusive despite our efforts. The movement has increased after the blasting activity in Muddanapalya area. There are many abandoned quarries in Kengeri hobli which have become a major headache for the department," a source in the department said.

The source added that the department recently wrote to the police about the blasting work for construction of an apartment in the area. In October, it was estimated that there were three leopards in the areas on the outskirts of Kengeri. "We believe the two others are on the outskirts of Sulikere and Chikkanahalli," he added.

Bengaluru Deputy Conservator of Forests Ravishankar said no major incidents have been reported from the area at present. "We are at work and will resolve the issue. Hopefully, no major incident will happen in future too," he said.