Beach town aflutter, as forest officials scramble to place camera traps in a bid to identify the surprise visitor
The approximate distance between SGNP main gate and Gorai where the leopard was spotted is 25 km; (left) the forest department confirmed the pugmarks are of a leopard
Residents of the Gorai-Manori belt have spotted pugmarks hinting at the presence of leopards in the area. The locals and forest department have claimed that leopard sightings in the area are unheard of. The locals have been spotting huge pugmarks in the forested patch in the area for the past 15 days. The approximate road distance between SGNP main gate to Gorai where the leopard was spotted is 25 km.
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Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Santosh Saste from Thane Forest Department (Territorial) said, “We are surprised about the sighting of leopard that has taken place in Gorai belt as it is not properly connected to SGNP. However, if we see the Google Map, then we can spot possible connectivity. The leopard may have travelled from SGNP to Gorai via the green patch near Mira-Bhayandar. After that, it can easily reach Gorai as there is a green cover in that patch. Our team has already installed camera traps in the area. It will be really interesting to see which individual leopard from SGNP is roaming in that area.”
Graphic/Shailendra Mirgal
Rakesh Bhoir, Range Forest Officer (RFO), Thane Forest Department (TFD) - Territorial said, “Around two weeks ago we had received information from some villagers in Gorai that a leopard was spotted in the forested patch of Gorai-Manori belt. We visited the spot and based on the pugmarks, it was confirmed that it is a leopard.” “Our team has been visiting the area and we are also creating awareness among the locals about the dos and don’ts if they spot a leopard. Around four camera traps have also been installed in the area to monitor the movement of the leopard,” added Bhoir.
Spotted by locals
Around two weeks ago some locals spotted pugmarks of a huge cat in the forested patch close to a hillock a few hundred meters away from Gorai-Pagoda. Talking to mid-day Stafford Kinny, 31, a resident of Gorai Village- Juipada said, “I, along with my friends, went to the spot to see the pugmarks. They were huge in size and were not of a domestic cat. The forest department has confirmed that it is a leopard pugmark. What is surprising is the fact that for the past 30 years, I have been staying in this area, but have never heard of a leopard sighting in our area.”
On Wednesday, the forest department along with Biologist Nikit Surve from Wildlife Conservation Society conducted an awareness session at Birsa Munda pada in Gorai
Locals Raju Salkar and Lakshmi Salkar who had recently gone to catch crabs in the Gorai creek, near Mothi Dongri village, have claimed to have spotted the leopard in the night, while they were returning home. On Wednesday, the forest department along with Biologist Nikit Surve from Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) carried out an awareness session at Birsa Munda pada in Gorai. In the second week of February, a Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) team had rescued a leopard from a stormwater drain near a slum in Bhayandar. The big cat had wandered 7-8 km away from the forest at SGNP and was hiding inside a dry drain near Jai Ambe Nagar.
SGNP shut on Wednesday
Following the sighting of a leopard close to the main gate of the SGNP on Wednesday morning, the park was kept shut for tourists. SGNP Director and Conservator of Forest (CF) G Mallikarjuna said, “On Wednesday, a leopard was sighted near the main gate of SGNP by a morning walker, after which our team found that the animal had taken refuge in a culvert. In order to prevent any disturbance to the leopard and for the safety of people, we decided to close the park for tourists. Our team is stationed near the location and we are hoping that post-sunset, the leopard will return back to the forest.”
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