Forest officials alert after leopard seen in Sultanpur

Delhi has seen an increase in leopard sightings over the past six years, a rise that experts said is an indication of the city’s success in efforts to create green spaces and sanctuaries for the safe movement of these animals.

The state forest department on Friday put out an alert after they received two reports of a leopard being spotted around south Delhi’s Sultanpur Depot.

A senior forest department official said they were first informed of a leopard being spotted around the Delhi-Gurugram border near Chattarpur on Wednesday (HT Archives)

A senior forest department official said they were first informed of a leopard being spotted around the Delhi-Gurugram border near Chattarpur on Wednesday, after which teams from the South forest division did a thorough search of the area.

The reduced movement of people and vehicles due to the Covid-19 curbs could be one of the reason behind the increased instances of leopard sightings in Delhi. (HT Illustrator)

The department received another report from residents, who claimed they spotted the animal near Sultanpur Depot around 10am on Friday.

“We have caught some images on CCTV cameras, but the images are blurry and we cannot say for sure if it is a leopard. However, we have set up more cameras around the area and have also put out an alert for the public to not venture out after dark, and to be on their guard. We are also engaging with local residents to ensure they do not attack the leopard, since it is a protected animal,” the forest department official said.

Forest officials said they have laid out traps and are conducting round-the-clock patrols to capture the animal. Teams from Wildlife SOS, a wildlife protection and conservation group, also assisted the forest department in their capture efforts in the area on Friday.

Delhi has seen an increase in leopard sightings over the past six years, a rise that experts said is an indication of the city’s success in efforts to create green spaces and sanctuaries for the safe movement of these animals.

Amit Anand, deputy conservator forests (south division), said camera traps have been set up around the area and announcements are being made to ensure residents are vigilant.

“We could not use drones on Friday since the skies were cloudy. But we will conduct drone surveillance on Saturday to spot the animal. Our primary aim is to trap the animal. If it is found to be in a healthy state, we will release it in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary,” Anand said.

Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist in-charge at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, where a leopard was spotted in 2016, said the reduced movement of people and vehicles due to the Covid-19 curbs could be one of the reason behind the increased instances of leopard sightings in Delhi.

“We need to understand the leopard is a ‘generalist’ in its food habit, which means that it eats anything and everything. Even if scraps and chicken waste are thrown somewhere, they will attract a leopard. It has adapted itself well to the urban landscape, so we have seen leopards move around different continuous forests in Delhi,” Khudsar said.

In March this year, the south forest division confirmed that at least two leopards were living in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary over the past six months. Officials said they were spotted near some old mining pits in the area, adding that this was proof of the increased population of prey base for these animals.