Tracking On, but Leopard Evasive of Trap Cages

Vijayawada:Foresters tracking the leopard in recent days have noticed that the carnivore is evasive of trap cages and moving away even after seeing the live bait of a pig inside each cage.

They started the tracking following the sighting of the sub-adult leopard aged between 3-4 years in a CCTV camera at the Akashvani office near Lalacheruvu on Sept 6. Their aim is to trap and safely release the leopard into the forests.

The carnivore’s presence was noticed mainly in the Diwancheruvu west reserve forest area spread over some 530 hectares.

The foresters have kept seven trap cages in strategic locations and reserved one more as standby. They installed nearly 100 trap cameras and eight CCTV cameras to track and trap the leopard.

They officials availed the expertise from experts from the Wildlife Institute of India, the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve and the Pune based NGO called RESQ, and others.

The foresters have noticed that the carnivore is hunting down hares and pigs. The officials are concerned about the carnivore straying into the human habitations. There exist several habitations. The national highway is also located along the reserve forest area.

The foresters have set up Caution boards on the NH and on the road leading to residential areas like Srirampuram etc, stating that “this is a leopard bearing area” and advising the speed limit at 30kmph.

Residents have been advised not to move around alone at night and also take special care of their children. Motorists are moving in groups on the national highway to avoid any trouble from the animal.

Kakinada DFO Bharani said, “We are tracking the pug marks of the leopard almost every day. But it is not entering the trap cage. It comes close to the cage and then moves away.”

Local residents have urged the forest authorities to trap the leopard and ensure safety for them at the earliest.

The reserve forests are spread over a vast area. The leopard is considering it as a habitat and living there. There’s plenty of feed in the form of hares and pigs. This encourages the leopard to stay on and move around.