Ranga Reddy District Forest Officer Sudhakar Reddy said that it got inflicted with minor injuries after it tried to escape from the cage.
The leopard that was captured from the Hyderabad airport. (X)
An adult male leopard of approximately five years of age was captured by the Telangana Forest Department officials from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Shamshabad in Hyderabad on the intervening night of 2 and 3 April.
The airport staff spotted the leopard moving inside its premises the week before. They alerted the forest department officials on 27 April night.
Subsequently, cages were set up to trap the feline.
Ranga Reddy District Forest Officer Sudhakar Reddy told South First that the leopard might have entered the airport while wandering through the forest area adjoining it.
He added that the leopard somehow entered the airport premises and got trapped there.
Earlier, villagers around the airport had been warned against commuting alone at night and were also asked to inform the forest department officials in the event of spotting the leopard.
Reddy cited the increasing population of leopards in the Vikarabad, Medak, and Ranga Reddy districts as the cause of their wandering into human-inhabited areas.
The airport officials were concerned that the animal could get into the runway area and create panic. The Forest department team had initially set up two cages which was increased to five later.
Cameras were placed in and around the cages to track the movements of the leopard. Goats were tied near the cage to bait the leopard and lure it.
Reddy said that the leopard got inflicted with minor injuries after it tried to escape from the cage.
“The animals caught in cages usually become ferocious. In this case, it broke the mesh and kept banging on to the cage. It has sustained small scratches,” he said.
The official said the leopard would be shifted to Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad for treatment.
” It will be kept in observation for two days. Following that, it might be shifted to dense forest areas like Amrabad Tiger Reserve or Kawal Tiger Reserve,” he said.
Telangana Chief Wild Life Warden Mohan Pargaien appreciated the team for successfully capturing the animal.
“The Leopard that entered into Shamsabad @RGIAHyd 6 days back finally got trapped today morning .The male Leopard is being first taken to Hyderabad Zoo and after keeping him under observation and health checkup it will be released into forest. Kudos to CCF Charminar, DFO Rangareddy, FDO Shamsabad, their staff and RGIA officials for their continued efforts in making this operation successful, he wrote on X.
The Leopard that entered into Shamsabad @RGIAHyd 6 days back finally got trapped today morning .The male Leopard is being first taken to Hyderabad Zoo and after keeping him under observation and health checkup it will be released into forest. Kudos to CCF Charminar , DFO… pic.twitter.com/yDUNSqekIZ
— Mohan Pargaien IFS🇮🇳 (@pargaien) May 3, 2024
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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