Leopard enters Goregaon soc, kills stray dog in parking lot

Mumbai: An adult leopard caused alarm at a Goregaon housing complex near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) after it was caught on CCTV cameras loitering about on the premises for nearly an hour early on Wednesday and killing a stray dog in the parking lot. No one else was injured.Cameras showed the leopard entering Raheja Heights's H-wing, jumping on an empty cabin of security personnel attached to it, and leaping about 12ft to the podium parking. There, it attacked a stray dog. While dragging it, the leopard got distracted for a few seconds, dropped the dog and looked in the opposite direction. The dog ran, but the big cat chased, captured and killed it, and left. Forest officials visited the site and urged residents not to panic. Dr Pooja Karande, who manages the security at Raheja Heights, said SGNP staffers will address locals on Saturday on what steps to take to avoid leopard encounters. Children's playtime hours have already been curtailed and residents advised not to step out alone at night, she said. Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden attached to the forest department, assuaged fears, saying leopards tend to avoid humans. "They come out of SGNP sometimes in search of food. They hunt stray dogs, poultry birds and domesticated goats along the forest's fringes. This mostly happens late at night, when most people are asleep." He pointed out that Mumbai is the only metropolis with a national park within, in which over 50 leopards live, besides other wild species. "There were a few leopard sightings at Aarey Colony, which is also adjacent to SGNP, in the past."