29 September,2016 06:40 PM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Forest officials are not ruling out leopard movement in Pokhran and Ovale areas, but are yet to confirm rumours about sightings
The pug mark, which was later discovered to be that of a dog's
Even as rumours about leopard sightings in the Pokhran and Ovale areas in Thane are going viral on social media and WhatsApp groups, forest officials have asked people not to panic and instead keep their surroundings clean to avoid any man-animal conflict.
According to forest department officials, the leopard sightings are likely because of the proximity of both the areas to Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Confirming that they have received information about leopard sightings in these areas, assistant conservator of forest SJ Lachake said, "We request people not to get frightened just because they have heard of these sightings. Both these locations are close to the Yeoor range of the SGNP, so these sightings are not uncommon. But, one should not simply believe in rumours. Our teams are visiting these areas."
"If people do spot a leopard, they shouldn't try to corner or provoke the animal as this could lead to man-animal conflict. People should also see to it that thrash near the surrounding buildings are cleared as leopards get attracted to dogs, who feed on garbage."
The abandoned factory in Thane where a leopard was allegedly spotted a week ago
Since the last two days, reports about new leopard sightings have left residents of Pokhran and Ovale, on the edge. Yesterday, a WhatsApp message about two leopards being spotted near a school in Pokhran area had first caused panic. However, the message was confirmed as fake. The same evening, there was a message about a leopard being spotted near Siddhachal Phase VI housing society, but forest department officials claimed that they didn't have any information about it. A week ago, a leopard was said to have been spotted, in an abandoned factory in Pokhran.
An image of leopard pug marks found near Ovala village near Ghodbunder that was circulated on various WhatsApp groups was also found to be that of a dog's.
A wildlife researcher, who is working on a leopard study project, said, "The pugmark images that I saw are that of a dog and not a leopard. It is usually difficult for a layman to differentiate between the two."
