Mumbai: Forest officials step up efforts to find Vasai leopard

Forest officials set up a night patrol station in the area

While there has been an unnecessary panic among the people in Vasai West about the leopard that was spotted in the Vasai fort, on Monday the forest department officials carried out a search operation in the area to locate the big cat. An official from the Maharashtra Forest Department said, "The camera trapping exercise in the area has been intensified. On Monday the officials even did a search operation in the area to locate the leopard. Officials have applied for permission to trap the leopard and are awaiting permission from the chief wildlife warden."

Residents are in a state of panic with the big cat yet to be trapped. Pics/Hanif Patel

Locals staying in the area have been upset with the authorities as they have not yet trapped the leopard. Commenting on the same forest department official who did not wish to be named said, "Trapping a leopard requires permissions from the chief wildlife warden of the state and unless the same is received, we cannot trap the leopard. The forest department, along with the NGOs have been doing all the possible things. We can understand that people fear the leopard but the animal will not do anything unless it is provoked so we would like to request the residents to inform the forest department in case they spot a leopard and they should avoid doing anything that might disturb the the animal." added the official.

A wildlife lover from the area told mid-day, "Some local news channels which are active on YouTube are unnecessarily creating panic among the people about leopards because of which it is also becoming difficult for the forest department and the NGOs to work in the area."

A few days back the image of the leopard photographed on the camera trap near Vasai fort was matched with the forest department database and it was found that it was one of the leopards from Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary." Officials from the forest department told mid-day that it was a male leopard. Researchers and forest department officials are also trying to find out the probable route or path the leopard might have taken to reach Vasai Fort.