Villagers spot ‘big cat’ in village in Auraiya district

Kanpur: A group of villagers, who were working in their farms, apparently spotted a big cat near the

Sarai Kachwaha

village of Auraiya district, and raised an alarm. They immediately informed the police and the officials of the forest department.“We saw a big cat at around 11.45 am in the maize field and subsequently alerted the police and the forest departments," they said.Over the past few months, leopard sightings have increased in the neighbouring Etawah district, the villagers said.The forest officials said the Tuesday sighting of a big cat could not be ruled out as the area lies close to the Etawah's

Chambal

forest cover which has a good leopard population.The villagers of Sarai Kachwaha asked the forest department to increase vigil and trap the leopard as soon as possible.Forest ranger Komal Singh said that on the basis of information received from the villagers, a team of forest personnel has been sent to the village. "It is yet to be confirmed whether it is a leopard or some other animal. We are gathering details from the villagers about the animal's appearance," Singh further said.