Leopard sighted at NTPC Dadri, forest department launches search operation

Greater Noida: The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department has launched a search operation after a leopard was sighted at NTPC Dadri on October 7. Images of the animal’s

Greater Noida: The Gautam Budh Nagar forest department has launched a search operation after a leopard was sighted at NTPC Dadri on October 7. Images of the animal’s movement were captured in CCTV cameras installed at the premises. A forest department team has been camping for four days in the NTPC area to catch the leopard, officials said.

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Pankaj Saxena, spokesperson, NTPC Dadri, said the leopard was sighted on the night of October 7. “We immediately informed the forest department and the police, who launched a search operation. We have alerted the NTPC staff and also issued an advisory to people in neighbouring villages to be on alert,” he said. In the footage, the leopard was seen crossing a small bridge and then slowly backing away into the dense forest beyond.

The incident has scared local people, said residents. Ikhlaq Abbasi, who lives in Dadri, said that the locals are concerned for their safety. “We received the NTPC advisory on WhatsApp two days ago. People from neighbouring villages have restricted themselves indoors due to safety reasons. We request the police and forest department to launch an intensive search and catch the leopard before it harms any person,” he said.

PK Srivastava, district forest officer, Gautam Budh Nagar, said it appears the leopard had strayed into Dadri from the Aravali forest. “The team has been following the pug marks and is scanning the neighbourhood. We have also placed a cage and other equipment to trap and catch the leopard. However, it has not been found,” he said.

He said that there are instances when leopards stray from their natural habitats in search of food. “They sometimes also jump over goods’ trains and reach residential areas from the forest,” he said.

The NTPC Dadri is a coal and gas-fired thermal power plant located in Dadri area of Gautam Budh Nagar. The NTPC township is spread over 500 acre and a significant portion of it has green patches.

On January 21, 2019, the forest department had captured a leopard that had created panic among residents of Sadullapur and its neighbouring villages in Ecotech 3 area of Greater Noida. It was taken to Surajpur forest nursery, and finally released in the Shivalik forest belt of Saharanpur.

The Indian leopard (panthera pardus fusca) is a Schedule I species, protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.