Maharashtra: Leopard spotted on IIT-Bombay campus

A leopard was allegedly spotted on the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) in Powai here and the forest department was alerted, a forest official said.

A distress call was made to the forest department on Monday morning and a team was sent to the spot to investigate if the sighting was of concern, the official said. Leopards are generally nocturnal. Sightings during the day are not very common, he said.

However, as the IIT-B is located close to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park there are chances of sightings in the day too. Moreover, with the drop in temperature in the last 48 hours and the cold wave alert, leopards can be spotted during the day, he said.

Our teams are investigating and initiating all necessary actions, we appeal to students, staff and IIT management and other citizens not to panic, the official said, urging people to report any wildlife distress incident to the forest department’s control room number 1926.