Foresters to search Godavari islands near Burrilanka for Leopard

Vijayawada: With no sign of the elusive leopard, forest authorities are planning to shift the search operation to the islands in the Godavari River near Burrilanka village, close to Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district, starting Sunday.

The forest officials believe that, as more deer are found on the islands, the leopard might have moved there in search of prey.

Efforts by the foresters in plant nurseries in Kadiyam mandal, which included placing camera traps, CCTV cameras, and even trap cages with live bait, have proved futile over the last few days. At the Diwan Cheruvu Reserve Forest area, the carnivore was first captured on CCTV footage on 6 September, and it was tracked for a while before being lost, only to be spotted nearly 39 km away at the Kadiyam plant nurseries after a few days. Fortunately, no person or livestock has been attacked, as the leopard has so far survived by preying on hares, pigs, and stray dogs.