Leopard sightings trigger alert in Bengaluru: Report

Apart from sightings reported by residents in South Bengaluru, a survey by a conservation scientist detected 10 to 12 big cats in the fringes.

The officials of the forest department in Karnataka's Bengaluru sounded an alert on Friday after four leopards were spotted by residents in southern part of the city. The big cats made their appearances in Kengeri, Kumbalagodu, Devanahalli and nearby areas, reports said. These areas are covered in dense forests close to wildlife sanctuaries like the Bannerghatta National Park. A leopard was also reported to have killed a deer in Kengeri recently, whose carcass was found by officials.

As many as four leopards have been sighted by Bengaluru residents and many more reside in the periphery of the city, study finds. (Sourced)

Earlier, a carcass of a calf was found near a residential area close to the Turahalli forest.

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He added that forest department guards have been patrolling the area ever since the first complaint came in and all efforts are on to capture and rescue the big cats. He further said it is possible that the leopard is straying with her cubs in the Turahalli forest area. It might have strayed from the Bannerghatta reserve forest which is six kilometres away from the Turahalli forest.

Survey estimates leopard population in South Bengaluru

Apart from these sightings, a survey conducted by a conservation scientist Sanjay Gubbi has detected 10 to 12 leopards in fringes, The Times of India reported.

Sanjay Gubbi's study of the Bannerghatta National Park in 2019 revealed - in the survey spanning six years - that a total of 34 adult leopards were found through camera traps, of which 17 were male and 16 were female. The sex of one leopard could not be identified. Five sub-adults and one cub were also identified. Abundant domestic and wild prey in surrounding habitats might contribute to a higher number of leopards in the area, he observed.