Leopard that's been entering Bengaluru apartment finally caught

Wildlife

The leopard fell into one of the traps set by the Forest Department on Monday morning.

TNM Staff

Representative Image

The leopard that had caused residents of Prestige Song, a residential society off Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta, distress has been caught by the officials on Monday morning. The leopard will be released in the nearby Bannerghatta National Park by the Forest Department officials. “We were about a team of seven on-duty. The leopard fell into one of the traps set by us around 3.30 am in the morning and we waited until it was bright enough. We are taking the leopard and will release it in a conducive environment so that it does not return again,” said Deputy Forest Range Officer Harsha, who was present at the location during the sighting. When the leopard was first spotted on January 24, it was believed that it strayed and entered the building. The CCTV camera footage accessed from the apartment then had shown the big cat crossing a road within the apartment complex. Since then, the video has been doing the rounds on social media platforms, including WhatsApp.  The leopard sighted at Prestige Song apartment building fell in the trap set by Forest Department officials The CCTV footage of the leopard created a scare among the residents of the building as well as others in the neighbouring areas of Begur and Koppa near the Hulimavu lake. After the incident, officials had set up camera traps and were using drones to trace the leopard. The police, along with the Forest Department, had also formed teams to comb the area in a bid to capture the big cat and release it back into the wild. Harsha and the team have been constantly monitoring the area.  The leopard was spotted again in the area on Friday, January 29. Residents had been distressed over the leopard still roaming around in the vicinity. The residents alleged that they have been sighting the leopard every day; although no untoward incident has been reported so far. Experts said the leopard was moving from the open forests, passing through the apartment complex to go to the caves nearby. 

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