Leopard captured after 45 days in UP’s Rampur dist

Bareilly: A massive hunt lasting 45 days followed by the sighting of pugmarks of a leopard that had been causing panic among residents of Arsal Parsal village in Maswasi area under Swar police jurisdiction of Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh helped forest officials trace the feline on Tuesday.

The leopard was first spotted by a villager in September. Later, its frequent sightings created scare in the residential area.

Following which, forest department had sounded an alert and stated combing operations.

After several attempts, the leopard, which was caught, will be released into the forest area in Bijnor district post medical examination, said forest officials.

“Finally, the team managed to catch the leopard. It has come as a big relief. We had stopped stepping out of our houses. Going about daily chores had also become difficult,” said Om Pal, a villager.

In September, it was a CCTV camera grab procured from the farmhouse of Satnam Singh, village pradhan, confirmed the presence of the animal in the area.

DFO, Rajiv Kumar, said, “Villagers had been living under constant fear and had even stop going to their fields. After medical examination, the leopard will be released into the protected forest area in Bijnor district.”