JNU Delhi leopard scare: Camera traps, cage set up

A forest department official said that they are currently checking for animal traces, such as pugmarks

New Delhi

JNU officials said the forest department installed the traps and cage on Sunday. (HT)

A set of four camera traps and a cage have been installed across the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus after authorities last week received a complaint regarding a leopard sighting inside the institution’s expansive south Delhi campus, officials said on Monday.

A forest department official said that they are currently checking for animal traces, such as pugmarks. “We will keep the cage and camera traps for at least a week. So, far there is no trace of a leopard. Preventive measures have been taken,” a forest official aware of the matter said.

JNU officials said the forest department installed the traps and cage on Sunday.

“Camera traps and a cage were installed on Sunday. Forest officials evaluated the footage on Monday morning and nothing suspicious has been found yet,” a JNU official said.

The university administration had issued a precautionary notice on September 6 after a complaint of a leopard being spotted by a student.

The notice stated: “All residents are hereby informed that a leopard was seen in JNU campus by a resident of Kaveri Hostel. So, everyone be very careful and vigilant.”

The advisory urged students to keep doors and windows closed, move in groups, and exercise special caution around Jhelum Hostel, the old transit house, and the stadium. “Stay safe,” it read.

The report of the sighting first emerged late Friday night, when a student claimed to have seen a leopard near Aravali Guest House. The Delhi government’s forest department was informed, and officials conducted spot verification the same night, though they could not confirm the presence of the animal.

While students and the administration did not confirm any additional sightings, authorities said precautionary measures will remain in place until the situation is clarified.

Leopard sightings, however, are not rare in Delhi due to the proximity to wildlife corridors in neighbouring states.

This year in June, a leopard was spotted in North Delhi, next to Yamuna Biodiversity park. Last year, in 2024 a five year-old male leopard wandered into Jagatpur village and attacked eight people before stick-wielding villagers beat it and trapped it in a house, from where it was successfully rescued after nearly five hours by the state forest and wildlife department. In 2016, a leopard was sighted several times at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park before it was captured in a cage and translocated.