Leopard spotted in north Delhi next to Yamuna Biodiversity Park

The sighting was caught on a camera trap after locals reported several sightings of a leopard-like creature over the past few months

A leopard was spotted in the dense urban landscape of Jagatpur village in north Delhi, in a field adjacent to the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, on Sunday night. The sighting was caught on a camera trap set up by a wildlife enthusiast after locals reported several sightings of a leopard-like creature over the past few months. Delhi’s forest and wildlife department said it has now deployed a team in the area to scan for pugmarks and possible signs of the animal.

The photograph was taken at 10.27pm on Sunday. (Courtesy: Hemant Garg)

Hemant Garg, 41, who set up the camera trap, said he was in the village last month for birding when locals told him of a possible leopard in the area.

“They were convinced a leopard was here and showed me pugmarks. I was convinced and set up a camera trap on Sunday. On the same night, the leopard was recorded at 10.27pm,” said Garg, who recently recorded the first sighting of the Indian grey wolf in Delhi since the 1940s, in Palla not far from Jagatpur.

Leopards are not rare in Delhi or this part of the city. Last year, 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.

The forest department said a team was deployed to Jagatpur and the surrounding area on Monday to locate the animal. “While no one from the village contacted us, we got to know that a leopard has been caught on camera. Accordingly, a team has been deployed in the area for surveillance,” said a senior forest department official, adding that sensitisation workshops with villagers in Jagatpur and other parts of leopard-prone areas in Delhi have been ongoing since last year.

Mehfooz Ali, 65, a Jagatpur local, said the camera trap was set up 50 metres from his farm. “I have seen the animal at least four times. I first saw what looked like a leopard in January and since then others have also seen it. We were convinced it was a leopard but we did not have proof,” he said, adding that they want better security in the area.

The Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in south Delhi, which counted eight leopards in its last census in 2022, is now believed to have at least 12, according to wildlife officials. In December 2023, a leopard was spotted over multiple days in Sainik Farms, too. “Since last year, we have been focusing on workshops for sensitisation and on man-animal conflicts,” the forest official added.

Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist in-charge of the Delhi Development Authority’s Biodiversity Parks programme, said the Yamuna floodplains are known to have both prey and predators. “Historically, we have seen leopards in both the Aravalli ranges and across the Yamuna floodplains landscape. The Yamuna offers a corridor for the animal to move,” he said.