Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Five days have passed since the leopard was spotted. The wild animal is looking for a way out of the city. Teams searched for Seven Hill to MGM, N-5, 6, 7, and 8 areas have been searched on Saturday.
Officers of the forest department on Saturday said " Do not attack the leopard, inform the forest department or the local police. Do not spread rumours, otherwise action will be taken.”
It may be noted that the leopard was first seen at Ulkanagari on July 15 and the last time, it was seen at Prozone Mall on July 17. The big cat was seen in Closed Circuit TV footage near N-1.
Box
Looking at the leopard's movement patterns and behaviour, it was seen as trying to move out of the city and staying away from people. Around 90 per cent of industries were closed in Cidco N-1 due to the shifting of MIDC. So, there is low movement of people. This will help it for hiding in closed industries and going out of the city. It seems that the leopard is going towards forest areas in Palshi and Sarola. It may have moved towards the forest area on not seeing the wild animal for the past three days. The search operation is underway.
(Dr Kishor Pathak, honorary wildlife warden)
Box
15 teams in search operation
A total of 15 different squads comprising 60 personnel of the Forest Department of the district, Ecological Task Force Battalion of the Indian Army and Rescue Team (Nashik) have been searching for the leopard for the past five days.
(Dada Taur, Range Forest Officer)
Box
Don’t panic, be alert
People need not fear but remain alert. Do not leave children alone after darkness falls. People should avoid morning and evening walks in the evening. If you get any information about a leopard or see it, do not chase or disturb it. Inform the forest department or local police immediately. Do not spread rumours or forward unverified information. Spreading false information on social media can lead to legal action under the IPC section.
(Suryakant Mankawar, Deputy Conservator of Forest)