Watch: Leopard sighted near Bhubaneswar airport, caught after 48 hours

Security personnel at the Bhubaneswar Airport were on high alert for two days following the leopard sighting.

A leopard that was spotted at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar was finally caught after a 48-hour-long operation. A video that’s made its way online shows CCTV footage of the leopard when it was first seen in a colony close to the airport on February 17. The video also shows the leopard after it was caught by forest officials.

“It passed through the airport area twice on the night of February 19. But we lost track of it,” a security official at the airport said. (Screengrab)

According to reports, security personnel at the Bhubaneswar Airport were on high alert for two days following the leopard sighting. The leopard entered the high security area of the airport and even left claw marks on buildings and doors but disappeared before it could be caught.

“It passed through the airport area twice on the night of February 19. But we lost track of it,” a security official at the airport said.

Forest officials eventually placed cages with live bait inside the airport premises to trap the leopard. It finally entered one at around 2:30 am on February 20. A dart was shot at the leopard’s leg in order to tranquillise it. The leopard was eventually relocated.

“The leopard is a male and would be around four to five-years-old. It should be released back in a suitable natural habitat as it has no report of making any deliberate attack on humans,” said Subhendu Mallik, an honorary Wildlife Warden, who was part of the rescue team.