Thirty three days after forest officials mounted efforts to trap female leopard C32 that was suspected to be behind the series of attacks on locals inside Aarey Milk Colony, the big cat walked into a cage on November 3. Following is a timeline of important events that led to the capture of the leopard.
Updated On: 2021-11-09 10:05 PM IST
Since August 31, nine people including a four-year-old boy had been injured in leopard attacks in Aarey Colony, while several others had claimed that a big cat had charged at them.
According to the rule of the State Forest Department, permissions are usually granted for a month. Thane forest division which oversees the Aarey Colony had laid camera traps to identify the leopardess that was attacking the humans.
The first female leopard that walked into a cage turned out to be the sibling of C32 and continues to be in captivity. Two other leopards that were trapped were released into their natural habitat as their rosette pattern did not match with C32.
But luck finally ran out for her (C32) on the evening of November 3, when she walked into the trap set up near Unit 31, close to Ekta Nagar. Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Gajendra Hire and Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Girija Desai from the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) along with the Rapid Rescue Team from Thane and Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and Mumbakairs for SGNP, involving members of the civil society, were all on the job. A total of eight cages had been made active in Aarey Milk Colony since October 1.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Forest Department will radio-collar female leopard C33 and release it back into the wild. C33, aged around two years, was the first to get trapped in the cage set up to capture the problem leopard at Aarey Milk Colony.
