Third leopard sighting in a month rattles Malad hsg soc, trap laid

Tuesday’s sighting at Raheja Heights, home to around 1,000 residents, was captured on CCTV, just as the earlier ones were. Cameras recorded a leopard strolling in the parking lot at around 3am

MUMBAI: The third leopard sighting in a month in a Malad east housing society – this one in the wee hours on Tuesday – has prompted forest officers to install a trap, even as residents ponder long-term safety measures.

CCTV cameras showed the leopard strolling through the parking lot

Tuesday’s sighting at Raheja Heights, home to around 1,000 residents, was captured on CCTV, just as the earlier ones were. Cameras recorded a leopard strolling in the parking lot at around 3am. Earlier sightings were on March 17 and 18.

To trap the leopard – residents suspect the animal has been using an adjacent public park as an entry point to their complex – forest officers have placed a cage in the adjoining Sheela Raheja Public Park with a goat as bait. The goat is in a cage within a larger cage, say forest officers, and will not be harmed. They have also installed cameras to monitor movement.

Purshottam Tambe, a security guard posted at D wing, said he was alerted to the presence of the leopard by the commotion caused by dogs in the society. “I heard dogs barking and went towards the rear gate. A dog had been attacked. When I got there, I saw the leopard taking it away. I shouted loudly. The leopard got scared and fled,” he said.

Residents said an adjacent public park has been shut and access points cordoned off. “The park is not well-lit and is being used by the animal as a passage. After repeated follow-ups, a cage has been installed,” said Pooja Karande, a member of the security sub-committee. She said the society hopes to get the park barricaded with aluminium sheets and its walls raised.

Like many other housing societies, Raheja Heights is located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), home to a healthy leopard population increasingly straying from the park as it shrinks due to human encroachment.

Residents at Raheja Heights are concerned for their safety, especially for seniors and children in the housing complex. Vijaykumar Borra, 40, said, “I have been telling my daughter to return home before dark.”

Karande said the society has been pushing for preventive measures for some time. “We had to keep following up before action was taken. The focus now is to secure the periphery and ensure the leopard does not re-enter our premises,” she said.

Anil Nair, chairperson of the managing committee, added, “The leopard used to visit the garden during the Covid-19 lockdown. This is the third incident. People are afraid to step out. We have asked forest officers to make sure the animals have sufficient food and water is arranged in the national park, as we have been told they are straying here in search of food,” he said.

The society has taken interim measures, including restricting movement in vulnerable areas and timings; installing CCTV cameras; and coordinating with guards to monitor activity, particularly early in the morning and late at night.

Divisional forest officer, Kiran Patil, said they are monitoring the situation and hope the trap will capture the leopard, which can be rescued.

Local corporator Tulsiram Shinde and MLA Anil Parab say they will meet forest officers on Wednesday to work out a comprehensive plan to address the situation.