Hyderabad, February 08: Could the leopard on the prowl in Shamshabad have come from the Srisailam forest area, that too in a vehicle? Forest officials suspect so. “It is possible that the wild cat came from the Srisailam Tiger reserve. It might have jumped on to a lorry, train or some other vehicle when it halted in the forest,” a forest department official told Express.
Earlier, a leopard had surfaced in Alwal after an overnight journey in a goods train, he recalled and reasoned: “This leopard is single and has landed in Shamshabad by chance.”
The wild cat, believed to be four-years old, has been moving within a radius of 10-15 kilometers at Shamshabad for the last three weeks. It has been sighted at various locations, first at Shamtamrai and later at Chary Nagar and Khavvaguda and more recently at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport creating panic among the people on the city outskirts. The airport security staff have been put on high alert round-the-lock ever since the animal was spotted.
The Nehru Zoo Park’s veterinary doctors, after examining an injured buffalo calf and pug marks, had confirmed the presence of the leopard.
“A security staffer reported seeing the leopard on the airport premises four days back but its presence could not be confirmed as the airport is mostly cemented,” said Forest Section Officer K Nagendra Babu.
–Agencies