Uttar Pradesh: Three leopard cubs enter college campus in Bijnor district

BIJNOR: Authorities at the SSD Degree College located near a forested area of Najibabad in Bijnor district went into a tizzy on Friday morning when its staff spotted three leopard cubs on the campus. There were no students in the college at that time.
The forest department has rescued one of the cubs while two are untraceable. The cub was released in the adjoining sugarcane fields so that it could be reunited with its mother.

Forest officials claimed a leopardess was spotted carrying away one cub on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday. The mother leopard may have taken away the other cub as well. However, they are keeping vigil on the college campus.
“Initially, we thought they were kittens but soon realized our mistake and immediately informed the forest department,” said Ranveer Singh, manager of the college.
Najibabad ranger Ravindra Shrivastava said, "SSD College, spread across 50 bighas of land, is located on the outskirts of Najibabad city on Raipur road. It is adjacent to sugarcane fields. A hospital is also located on its campus. Paddy is cultivated on its empty swathes of land. However, the college is protected by boundary walls."
The ranger said, “ The leopard cubs somehow entered the premises of the institute on Thursday night. They were spotted by staff on Friday around 7am. The cubs are four to five months old. They were running from one place to another in the premises of the college and hospital. Our team, led by SDO Harendra Singh, rushed to the scene. By then, the cubs had fled into the paddy fields. We managed to rescue one of them.”

Shrivastava was of the view that the other two cubs hid in the building or amid paddy crop. “Therefore, we have deputed our staff in the institute to keep a strict vigil on the movement of cubs. The gate of the college was left open throughout the night. Our staff spotted a leopardess carrying away a cub late in the night. The other cub is still untraceable. It may also have been reunited with its mother in the night as there has been no sighting of the cub since then. We are trying to track the leopardess.” He appealed to people not to disturb the leopards.``
There are over 100 leopards thriving amid sugarcane fields of Bijnor. Officials claim that the leopard is a shy animal and normally doesn't attack human beings.