Mumbai: Trapped leopard is sibling of one attacking residents in Aarey Colony

This leopard, aged between 1.5 and 2 years, was caught in the early hours of October 1

A young leopard caught in a cage inside Aarey Milk Colony last week is a sibling of the big cat that is suspected to be behind the series of attacks on the locals in recent weeks. The trapped animal could be fitted with a chip, said officials.

"We have plans to radio-collar the leopard that was trapped from Aarey Milk Colony but it depends on the availability of the radio collar," said Principal Chief Conservator of Forest-Wildlife Sunil Limaye.

Sources from the forest department said the leopard has been kept in a cage at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and animal keepers and the staff have been told to have minimum contact with it.

They said the rosette patterns of this leopard, which is 1.5 to 2 years old, is different from the leopard that is suspected to be targeting Aarey residents. The trapped one is a sibling of the attacker, they said.

If they succeed in radio-collaring the leopard, the chip on the big cat's neck will provide forest officials with a sneak peek into the movement of the elusive species in Aarey's human-dominated landscape. "The inputs will also help authorities plan long-term conservation strategies," said a source. Aarey has about 5-7 leopards, they said.

Since August 31, six people, including a 4-year-old child, have been injured in leopard attacks inside Aarey. Many locals have also claimed that leopard charged at them.

Around 7 pm on October 2, authorities set up one more cage, taking the total to four. However, the animal did not walk into any of them in the night. To prevent man-animal conflicts, teams from the Thane forest department (territorial) and SGNP at patrolling the area at night. They are also holding awareness sessions with locals to make the space safer.

04
No. of cages now set up at Aarey to trap the leopard