Leopard ‘sighting’ keep forest officials on toes

VADODARA: The forest department may have caged two leopards in the Ghoghamba taluka of Panchmahal district, but there seems to be no end to the scare spread by the big cats in the area.
The forest department was kept on its toes after reports of yet another leopard lurking in the area where attacks on humans were reported earlier.
Six persons were attacked by a leopard and two children amongst them had died in about a week early this month.Some cattle were also killed by the leopards and the leopards also had managed to get out of cages set to trap them after killing the baits placed in them. Just when concerns were being expressed regarding the leopards foxing the cages, two leopards were trapped within hours on Monday night. The forest department is still to ascertain which of the two leopards is responsible for the attacks or if both of them are involved.
Now, forest officials seem to be facing the issue of false alarms. Residents of the area on Saturday pointed out that a leopard was moving in the vicinity. They even claimed that there were pugmarks of the big cat there. Forest officials said that there were no kills of animals after the two leopards were rescued. “It is very unlikely that another leopard has entered the area,” said a forest official.
The official added that cages and cameras in the area barring one location had been removed. “There is no evidence hinting at the presence of another leopard,” said the officer.