After more than half a dozen attacks by leopards in the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai, a wild cat suspected to be behind the incidents was trap-caged in the wee hours of Friday.
The trapped leopard is a female sub-adult and she has been taken to the Leopard Rescue Centre of the SGNP, located in the suburbs of Mumbai.
The Maharashtra Forest Department and the SGNP, however, have not yet confirmed whether the leopard is the same one responsible for the seven back-to-back attacks on locals in the past month.
After the attacks, the SGNP set up four trap cages in the Aarey Colony area -- and in one of those, one leopard was trapped.
MFD and SGNP officials said that the animal was found trapped at 6 am when his team went in for inspection.
A couple of days ago, when a leopard attacked a woman, it was caught on CCTV.
The camera trap pictures of the leopard and CCTV footage would be matched with other evidence and then the SGNP would be able to reach any conclusion whether the leopard trapped was responsible for the attacks.
The SGNP, the only national park in India and the world to be located within the metropolitan limits, has the highest leopard density in the world with around 47 leopards staying in an area of 103 sq km and its periphery.
The SGNP and its larger periphery -- spread in three districts of Mumbai Suburban, Palghar and Thane -- is frequented by locals.
Besides leopards, the SGNP and its neighbourhood which include the Aarey Milk Colony and FilmCity is home to more than 275 species of birds, 35 species of mammals, 80 species of reptiles and amphibians, 170 species of butterflies, several species of fish and a staggering 1,300 species of plants.
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