Leopard creates panic in Shamshabad

Hyderabad, February 13: A leopard is on the prowl in Shamshabad area on the city outskirts, creating a stir among locals. On the loose at Kavaguda village, about five kilometres from the Shamshabad airport, the leopard has not harmed any humans but is said to have killed a calf there.

The leopard has been spotted usually during the early morning hours for the last few days and activists working in the area say that major road construction and widening work in the Shamshabad area (including the Outer Ring Road) could have displaced the animal from the reserve forest area close by.

The animal was reportedly spotted by a few persons in Kavaguda village first and later near the Shamshabad airport. No persons or other animals are reported to have been attacked by it in the two villages so far.

According to forest officials, the animal could have possibly strayed from the nearby reserve forest area of Tummarulu and Pullimamedi villages in Maheshwaram and Kandakur mandals respectively. While the forest cover of Tummarulu is spread over approximately 200 hectares, the latter is scattered over 300 hectares.

The forest officials said that they are trying to catch the animal by laying a trap. They said a cage has been erected and a bait placed inside. Earlier a cage trap was put in place in the Charingar village near Shamshabad to capture the animal, but it turned out to be futile.

Animal rights activists familiar with the area said that the leopard straying into human habitations is a result of the hectic construction going on close to the reserve forest. “There has been a lot of construction happening here ever since the Outer Ring Road project took off. Animals in these forests have been disturbed and the leopard could have sensed danger and thus strayed,” said an activist.

–Agencies