Bengaluru on Big Cat Alert: Forest Officials Tell What to do If You Spot a Leopard in Your Area

Drone cameras and trap cages have been set up to capture a leopard that was sighted on a CCTV camera in Bengaluru on Sunday. Wildlife experts have advised people to remain alert, not venture out alone and keep children indoors as much as possible, until the cat is caught and secured.

Speaking to News 18, Ravindra Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bengaluru Urban Division), said that they have laid four traps and baits to lure the leopard, while cautioning that the leopard could return as the Bannerghatta National Park is located less than 10 km from the last spot. Residents around Electronic City, HSR Layout, and Bannerghatta have been asked to remain alert.

“Every effort is being made to track, trace and capture the leopard," Kumar told News18. A team of 30 specialised personnel has been pressed into action to capture the wandering cat. Drones are also being used to track its movement.

Of late, Bengaluru has reported leopard sightings within the city every few months, which has not only caused alarm among the residents, but also put the forest officials on high alert.

IF YOU SEE A LEOPARD, THIS IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

“Do not panic or attack the animal if spotted in your vicinity which will enrage the animal and make it attack . Remain calm , keep away as afar as possible and at no point try to capture it on your own. It could lead to disastrous situations," warns Punati Sridhar (IFS), who retired as the Principal Conservator of Forests, Karnataka.

The first step should be to inform the forest officials immediately on the department helpline 1926. “Leopards attack under fear of attack when someone approaches them, whether deliberate or unknowingly to its place of hiding such as bushes. So it is better to get the professionals to step in and capture it," the former PCCF said.

Kumar has also issued a precautionary advisory directing people not to allow children to remain alone and keep them indoors. “Children are easy prey and they do not know how to handle such situations, so they should be kept safe and indoors especially during nights," said another forest official who is part of trace and capture mission.

The officials have also urged people to refrain from walking around thick vegetation areas such as bushes during their early morning and late-night walks.

The forest department had also received reports that a leopard may have been sighted near MS Dhoni International School in the Whitefield area. The school had sent an email to parents, advising them to ensure the safety of their children. But the forest department later clarified that the CCTV image confirming its presence was in Singasandra near Electronic City and not Whitefield.

THE 1987 & 2022 INCIDENTS

News18 spoke to wildlife experts who concurred that leopards usually do not stray into human habitats unless they are forced by hunger or thirst. The latest sighting in Electronic City, which is dense with residential apartments, seems to have flummoxed the forest officials as well.

“Having ventured this far from the forest area around the edges of Bengaluru, it looks like the leopard was out in search of food or water. It would prey on dogs and return. Also, we should remember this is a drought year and there may be shortage of water bodies, so the cat must have not been able to satiate its thirst. This could have lured it into the city limits," added Sridhar.

Sridhar recalled an incident of 1987, when, as a forest officer, he was sent to handle a situation where a leopard had ventured into a village in Chikkamagalur and found itself trapped inside a cemetery.

“A person went in the morning to answer nature’s call near bushes and the leopard attacked him. The animal came in search of food during night, could not get back for some reason and was hiding in the bushes. It did not kill, but attacked due to fear and moved to other bushes in the cemetery and stayed there till dark and stealthily escaped back into the wild despite presence of big crowd. So left alone and undisturbed, they will get back to the wild," he said.

In December 2022, three leopards were seen in the Turahalli and Kengeri areas. Bengaluru University had issued a circular on January 14, urging its students, particularly those residing on campus, and staff members, to exercise caution by refraining from venturing outside during nighttime hours after reports of a leopard being spotted within the university’s campus.

Expansion of quarrying, mining activities, and agricultural development has significantly disrupted and destroyed the natural habitats of leopards.

Leopards staying in forests or hillocks regularly venture in to nearby hunman habitations during night to hunt mainly dogs which are available in plenty and get back in the darkness before dawn.