Bengaluru: Teams formed to retrace leopard on run; PETA urges to leave animal alone

Bengaluru, Feb 17: The Forest department on Tuesday, Feb 16 formed a special expert commitee to capture the eight-year-old leopard, who escaped from the rescue centre at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Bengaluru.

To know the whereabouts of the big cat, BBP officials contacted the neighborhood villagers and also informed that "the leopard was blind in the left eye and was extremely hungry but is not able to prey on big animals, as it has no teeth in his upper jaw."

Team of seven people where formed to search the leopard and all arrrangements like net and cages being installed nearby the areas of rescue centre. Also meat was kept as a bait to recapture the leopard.

BBP officials said, "we want to keep the leopard under observation to give medical treatment and even the group of pannel members also visited the area on Wednesday, Feb 17 morning to trace the pug marks but there no such marks have been found till now. [135 Bengaluru schools shut today as leopard panic grips city]

"As the animal has developed sense of fear for human beings, so there are chances that leopard might have escaped in forest area of Ragihalli, Doddannana Kere, Mule Gundi and Anegundi," said GC Lingaraju, assistant conservator of forest. However, news of a pet dog missing from Bhutanahalli, near Shivenahalli has given hope to officials to trace it again.

The expert panel is headed by the former principal chief conservator of forests Deepak Sharma. BBMP special commissioner Kumar Pushkar, chief conservator of forests, Chamarajnagar, BP Ravi and senior IFS officers Abhiyu Singh and Sunil Panwar are also included members who will probe the massive search operation.

PETA urges to leave animal alone

Poorva Joshipura, the CEO of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) also urged forests officials to stop the search operation for recapturing the leopard. Stressing on the leopard well-being, she said, "it's good that leopard retured to forest as natural habitat is best suited for animals."

"The leopard entered the school because it has lost it way and their is no such threat now for human beings," Joshipura concluded.

OneIndia News