The decision to eliminate the leopard had to be taken as it was getting more aggressive and had already attacked 2 personnel.
Leopard on the prowl in Bengaluru was shot dead by forest personnel. (Supplied)
A male leopard — around 12 to 13 years of age — which strayed into the human habitats of the southeastern suburbs of Bengaluru, was shot to death by a forest guard on Wednesday, 1 November. This brought the four-day-long operation to capture the feral feline alive to an end.
Senior forest officials told South First that the decision to eliminate the leopard had to be taken as it was getting more aggressive and had already attacked two personnel, including a veterinary doctor who sustained grievous injuries.
When the leopard sprang up from behind the bushes in a bid to attack a third forest guard, one of the group members opened fire and killed it, Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Lingaraju told South First.
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 under-construction locality at the Krishna Reddy Industrial Area in Hosapalya near Kudlu Gate.
The Forest Department officials had been patrolling the area since Sunday, advising people living in the apartment Cadenza (where the leopard was spotted) and those living nearby, including near the MS Dhoni Global School, to remain alert.
The officials had reassured members of the general public that measures were being taken to capture the leopard alive and relocate it to the Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Centre.
The operation of capturing the leopard began on Sunday, soon after the Cadenza apartment association informed the Forest Department officials of the presence of a leopard and handed them the CCTV footage of the leopard pacing near the lifts, walkways, and parking lot.
Over the past three days and nights, the forest officials had been using drones and thermal imaging cameras to trace and locate the leopard. They had also been following its pug marks and examining the faecal remains 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 roamed for about five to six km, which was not very far from the fringes of the Bannerghatta National Park, the forest officials told South First.
Cages with baits were placed at strategic locations where the leopard was spotted during the nights.
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.
“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 teeth or nail marks that cut deep into Dr Kiran’s neck and he was grievously injured. The doctor was immediately shifted to a hospital; it is believed he is stable and out of danger,” Lingaraju told South First.
A few moments after the attack on the doctor, the leopard charged at another forest personnel named Dhanraj from the Mysuru Leopard Task Force. His hand was bitten by the leopard. Dhanraj was also rushed to the hospital,” Lingaraju added.
The leopard had again slipped into the bushes and went into hiding. When it sprang up for the third time on another forest guard, he shot the leopard to defend himself, Lingaraju stated. He also confirming that the team had premeditated orders from their superiors to kill the feline, if the situation warranted it.
“Moreover, the area where the leopard went into hiding in the bushes was surrounded by human habitat and the crowd of people was growing. We did not want to take any chances,” Lingaraju iterated.
Soon after it was killed, the feline 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 they were unsuccessful, Lingaraju said.
The leopard’s body was then subjected to a postmortem after which a report on the incident will be submitted, a forest official stated.
However, Forest Department sources, who were part of the operation, have another version to tell.
According to them, the forest guard had fired at the leopard because he panicked, even though a sharpshooter was aiming at the feline with a tranquiliser dart.
The leopard was first shot dead and then, the animal was covered with a net and was shot again with a tranquiliser dart. However, senior forest officials did not acknowledge this version.
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