Leopard Remains Elusive, People in Panic Mode

Hyderabad: For the second consecutive day, the leopard that had appeared on the main road in Katedan before disappearing into a farmhouse compound remained elusive, even as Forest officials and the police stepped up efforts to trace the big cat.

The leopard was first sighted on Thursday morning. By the time, a team of Forest officials reached the spot with the hope of tranquilizing it and shifting it to the Nehru Zoological Park, the leopard ran into the sprawling compound of a a farmhouse nearby. More than 24 hours later, there is no sign of the leopard yet.

According to Forest officials, they had checked all the cameras installed at various spots in the farmhouse and around it since morning but so far, there were no visuals of the animal. Five cages were also set up on the premises with dogs as baits.

Teams of the Forest department and the local police are working in shifts to trace the animal and trap it. Officials say the leopard could have either confined itself to a small hideout on the premises after getting panicked or could have also already left the farmhouse as the boundary wall was just about 7 feet, which a leopard could easily jump over.

Forest officials believe the leopard might have strayed into the city from the Vikarabad forest area, where they say the big cats are usually spotted in villages during summer. With vehicular movement being very less on the roads due to the lockdown, the animal might have not been noticed as it made its way all the distance up to the city.

Meanwhile there is a sense of panic in the neighbourhoods of Katedan and Mailardevpally after the sighting of the leopard. The news that the wild cat is yet to be caught is giving jitters to the residents, most of whom are remaining indoors with their eyes glued on news bulletins on television sets.