Days after leopard shot dead, another spotted in B'luru

Bengaluru: Days after a leopard was shot dead during capture near Kudlu Gate, another big cat was sighted by civilians next to a house in Chikka Togur off NICE Road in southeast Bengaluru. Forest officials spent the last 24 hours on the trail of the leopard after the fresh sighting in the residential area, almost 4 km (aerial distance) from Kudlu Gate.

During the November 1 operation near Kudlu Gate, some of the department staff had suspected the presence of a second leopard. There were also reports of a second set of pug marks, smaller than the marks of the leopard that was shot dead.

The department has been on tenterhooks ever since the 12-yr-old leopard was put down after it injured three persons.

After the fresh sighting, senior officials said the staffers have been put on high alert to ensure that the lives and livelihoods of people are not affected. Residents have been alerted and requested not to panic. Any commotion will affect the rescue operation, they said.

On Saturday evening, forest officials received a complaint that a big cat was sighted next to a house near Lakshmi Devi Temple in Chikka Togur. "Necessary action has been initiated to rescue the animal. Our personnel have not had a visual confirmation yet. However, a trap has been set up and we are monitoring the situation," said Bengaluru Urban Deputy Conservator of Forests N Ravindrakumar.

During the November 1 operation near Kudlu Gate, a senior official said there were speculations of a second, younger leopard being present on the scene. "We combed the entire area but couldn't find it," an official said.

The official said it was possible that a younger and more agile leopard might have moved towards Chikka Togur from Kudlu Gate. "Any analysis is possible only after we get confirmation of the animal's presence. Till then, we will treat this as an emergency situation where the animal needs to be rescued," he added.

Chikka Togur has seen drastic development over the last 15 years. A cursory analysis of the land use change from Google maps shows that hundreds of acres of agriculture and farm lands have been turned into layouts between 2011 and 2023.

"The entire area was a green patch where human activity was limited to the day, and paved for coexistence. The apartments and layouts built in the area, especially CCTV cameras, have made the presence of the animal a spectacle, which in turn is used to create panic," the official noted.