Pramesh S Jain & Dr.Thomas (Special Correspondent)
The leopard that strayed into the human habitats of the Southeastern suburbs and gave sleepless nights to
forest officials and residents of Bengaluru – in and around the vicinities of Electronic City was shot dead by a forest guard on Wednesday afternoon with the four-day long operation on Wednesday.
Senior forest officials told reporters that a decision of eliminating the leopard had to be taken as it had attacked two personnel including a veterinary doctor who sustained grevious injuries.
When the leopard sprang from behind the bushes on the third forest guard to attack him,one of the group members opened fire and killed the canine, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Lingaraju told.
Around 60 personnel in total from the Forest Department -mainly from the Bengaluru Urban district and the KR Puram Forest Range including men from the BBMP Forest Cell and also trained personnel and sharpshooters from the Mysuru Leopard Task Force were a part of the operation that traced the leopard to an underconstruction locality at the Krishna Reddy Industrial Area in Hosapalya near Kudlu Gate around Wednesday afternoon.
The forest department officials have been patrolling the area since Sunday advising people of the apartment named Cadenza and the people staying nearby at residential area including the MS Dhoni Global school – to remain alert that a leopard was on prowl in the area and the officials were reassuring members of the general public that measures are being take to capture the leopard alive and relocate it to Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Centre.
However people were worried with CCTV footage of the leopard prowling at the common areas near lifts inside the apartment went viral on social media.
They were also worried for their children who would leave for schools in the morning and come back in the evening.
The operation of capturing the leopard started on Sunday soon after the gated community apartment association of Cadenza informed the Forest Department officials handing them CCTV footage of a leopard that had sneaked into the apartment premise and were pacing near the lifts,walkways,and parking lots.
The forest officals, over the past three days and nights were using drones and thermal imaging cameras to trace and locate the leopard.
They were also following the pug marks and examining the fecal remains of the leopard to trace its location.
The forest officials had collected information from people from the nearby areas who had spotted the leopard on CCTV cameras and learnt that in a matter of three days, the leopard had been roaming for about five to six kilometres which was not very far from the fringes of the Bannerghatta National Park,the forest officials told reporters Cages with baits were placed at strategic locations where the leopard was spotted during the nighttimes.
As the forest officials proceeded with their combing operation on Wednesday afternoon, they spotted the leopard at an under construction building in Krishna Reddy Industrial Area in Hosapalya near Kudlu Gate.
“There were bushes all over, but the entire area was surrounded by human habitat.The personnel from the Mysuru Leopard Task Force were attempting to shoot the leopard with a tranquiliser dart from different angles when the leopard all of a sudden sprang on Dr Kiran,a veterinarian and attacked him on the neck.
There were two canine teeth or nail marks that had gone deep into Dr Kiran’s neck and he was greviously injured.
The doctor was immediately shifted to a hospital where his condition is said to be out of danger and stable,” Lingaraju told reporters.
A few moments after the attack on the doctor, the leopard charged at another forest personnel named Dhanaraj from the Mysuru Leopard Task Force.
He was bitten by the leopard on his hand Dhanraj was also rushed to a hospital,”Lingaraju added.
Later the leopard had again slipped into the bushes and went into hiding.When it sprang for the third time on to another forest guard, he shot the leopard in order to defend himself from the canine,Lingaraju said while confirming that the team of personnel-part of the operation had premeditated orders from their superiors for carrying out the firing if situation warranted.
Moreover,the area where the leopard went into hiding in the bushes was surrounded by human habitat and the crowd of people were too swelling and we did not want to take any chances,Lingaraju reiterated.
Soon after it was fired,the canine was shifted into a cage using a net and was rushed to the Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Centre where attempts were made to revive the leopard, but it had died by then,Lingaraju confirmed.
The leopard’s body was then subjected to postmortem after which a report on the incident will be submitted, another forest official said.
