Now wild cat caught at Indore airport

After three jackals, a wild cat was caught in one of the traps laid down at Indore airport on Tuesday. The airport authorities with the help of forest department officials had caught a jackal in the first week of November.

After three jackals, a wild cat was caught in one of the traps laid down at Indore airport on Tuesday.

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The airport authorities with the help of forest department officials had managed to catch a jackal in the first week of November after two weeks of intense efforts. Subsequently, two more jackals were caught last week. “Several jackals and wild cats are still hiding in the tall grass inside airport premises spread over 940 acres,” an airport official said.

On the evening of October 24, a jackal had come between the tyres of a Spice Jet plane while it was taxiing to the runway. The flight was delayed while a thorough inspection was carried out.

Experts say the problem is the topography over which the boundary wall has been built. A DGCA inquiry conducted after the incident has blamed gaps in the boundary wall and tall grass for jackal menace at the airport.

Also, there are depressions in the land at several spots and jackals have managed to enter the premises by digging under the boundary wall. “The jackals have been hiding in the tall grasses on the airport premises and have also been breeding,” a senior forest department official said. “Besides, wild cats and snakes are also present on the premises,” he said.

After the October 24 incident, the Indore airport authorities had held a meeting with the forest department personnel and made an elaborate plan to trap -the jackals. Several cages were installed and food was kept as bait to lure the animals.