More than 24 hours after it strayed into Hyderabad outskirts and was seen resting on a roadside, the leopard remained elusive on Friday, leading to panic among locals.
Forest officials with the help of police continued their efforts to catch the feline, which was spotted resting on the road near Katedan underbridge at Mylardevpalli, on Thursday morning. It later ran into a nearby farmhouse.
The rescue team from the forest department along with the local police continued their frantic efforts to trace the animal and tranquilize it. However, with their efforts yielding no results, panic gripped the people in the areas around the 40-acre farmhouse.
The 25 CCTV cameras installed in and around the farmhouse as part of the rescue operations have not recorded any movement of the leopard, heightening the tension. The officials have also set up five cages with goats as baits.
The animal is believed to be hiding in the bushes. The possibility of leopard jumping over the farmhouse wall before the launch of rescue operations has also not been ruled out.
As it is suspected that the leopard may have entered the adjoining campus of agriculture university, the rescue team and police spread their search to surrounding areas.
Forest officials said they were continuing the operations and remained hopeful of catching the leopard. They plan to shift it to Nehru Zoological Park, where it will be treated before it is left in the forest.
The feline is suspected to have strayed into the city from the Vikarabad forest area. The drop in vehicular traffic due to lockdown is being cited as a possible reason for the animal reaching the city outskirts without being noticed.
( With inputs from IANS )