Forest department sets up cage to catch leopard in north Delhi village

Delhi's forest department sets a cage in Jagatpur to capture a leopard spotted multiple times, responding to residents' safety concerns.

The forest and wildlife department has set up a cage outside Jagatpur village in north Delhi to catch a leopard that has been sighted multiple times on camera and in-person over the past month. Officials said that the leopard will be shifted to a “suitable habitat” or the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary.

The photograph was taken at 10.27pm on June 15, after Jagatpur residents had set up a camera trap with the help of a wildlife enthusiast. (Courtesy: Hemant Garg)

Jagatpur residents had set up a camera trap on June 15 with the help of a wildlife enthusiast after several villagers spotted a leopard in the neighbourhood. The same night, the leopard was caught on the camera trap. The leopard was caught on camera on June 24, too. On July 2, Mehfooz Ali, 65, a local resident, spotted the leopard just 200 metres away from his farm.

In an order dated July 11, which HT has seen, the department said the decision was taken after local residents, in a public meeting on July 8, said they feared that the animal would attack them and requested the department to take the leopard away.

“It was reported in print media that a leopard was spotted in the Jagatpur area near Yamuna Biodiversity Park. A meeting was called in the office of the Chief Wildlife Warden on July 4, 2025, wherein you were directed to conduct a public meeting with the locals to address their concerns and thereby determining future course of action,” said the letter, written by Delhi’s chief wildlife warden to the deputy conservator of forest, central division.

“Resultantly, a report regarding the public meeting held on July 8, 2025, has been received by this office wherein you have highlighted the apprehension of the locals regarding their life and livestock and the perspective of the public to rescue and relocate the leopard from the area of their habitation,” the letter said, adding that under sections 11 (a) and 39 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the department can take steps to safely rescue and translocate the animal.

The letter said that the operation should be conducted in a manner that causes “minimum trauma” to the animal and the baiting and trapping should be in accordance with established norms and practices. “Furthermore, a daily report be submitted to this office till the successful rescue and translocation of the leopard is completed,” the letter said.

Locals confirmed the development, saying that a cage was set up late Sunday evening. “This was our demand since the public meeting on July 8. We wanted it set up as early as possible and now we are hoping the animal gets captured and translocated before anyone gets injured,” said Ali, who was part of both the July 4 and July 8 meeting with the department.

Last April, a five year-old leopard wandered into Jagatpur village and attacked eight residents before they beat it with sticks and trapped it in a house, from where it was successfully rescued in a five-hour operation by the state forest and wildlife department. The animal was shifted to the Asola sanctuary, which now has 12 leopards, according to a forest official. “Once caught, we will take a decision on where to release it safely,” the official added.