Leopard scare: Two cage traps set up in Marol

The forest department on Friday night installed two cage traps in Marol’s Bhavani Nagar, where an adult leopard was caught on CCTV cameras on March 7 morning. Though some officials are confident that the animal has returned to its natural habitat in the nearby Aarey Colony, this hasn’t assuaged the panicked residents

Mumbai: The forest department on Friday night installed two cage traps in Marol’s Bhavani Nagar, where an adult leopard was caught on CCTV cameras on March 7 morning.

Mumbai, India - March 11, 2023: Residents of Bhavani Nagar seen searching for the adult leapord as no one is allowed to venture out after sunset and forest department on high alert after the canine was spotted multiple times, at Marol, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, March 11, 2023. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Though some officials are confident that the animal has returned to its natural habitat in the nearby Aarey Colony, this hasn’t assuaged the panicked residents. The reported sighting of a leopard lounging on the roof of a bungalow in Malad (E) on March 8 (also captured on CCTV) has further added to the people’s worry.

After the death of a 16-month-old girl inside Aarey Colony at the hands of a leopard last October, residents told Hindustan Times they are most concerned about the safety of children, who are being strictly prohibited from loitering outside after dusk. A few residents from Marol, Andheri (E), have formed a ‘vigilance group’, which has been patrolling the neighborhood every evening in groups of at least 10 people.

“Guards of all the residential buildings have also been told to regularly check the terraces and other areas of the buildings. While children are being strictly kept indoors, we have also advised our elderly residents not to go out for walks, and such after sunset. There is a lot of inconvenience when you are scared to venture out of your own home, but we are being mindful of our safety and that of the animal,” Intekhab Farooqui, a local resident and member of the ‘vigilance group’, said.

Rakesh Bhoir, range forest officer, said, “We are not able to identify the leopard, or leopards, through CCTV footage alone because the images are blurry. We can make a confident guess as to which animal may be visiting Bhavani Nagar, but we would need to see it in a camera trap to identify it from its roseattes, or spots. There’s a very good chance it has already returned to Aarey Colony, but we have installed two cage traps near the spot where the leopard was originally seen. Another three camera traps have been installed near New Dindoshi Royal Hills Co-operative Society in Malad (E) as well, and our teams are patrolling both localities.”