Tagged leopard triggers inter-district verification exercise

Mysuru: A leopard rescued recently by forest staff in KR Nagar, Mysuru district, has triggered an inter-district verification exercise after officials found that the big cat was already tagged and microchipped, indicating it was captured and released earlier from another location.Under standard wildlife rescue protocol, every leopard that is captured and released must be fitted with a microchip and identified through ear notching. These markings help forest departments track conflict animals, identify repeat captures and maintain records across districts. In this case, the leopard rescued in KR Nagar about a month ago was found carrying a tag and identification number, suggesting it was previously handled by the department.But Mysuru forest officials couldn't identify from the tag where it was rescued, said DCF IB Prabhugouda, who heads the Leopard Task Force. The officer said as many as 221 leopards have been rescued in Mysuru and Mandya districts since Feb 2023, and 90% of them have been rescued and released back into the woods after microchipping the big cats. "Since then, the big cats rescued in our division of two districts haven't come into conflict again elsewhere. Our records too didn't match with the big cat rescued in KR Nagar," he said.Forest officials said no tagged leopard corresponding to the KR Nagar animal was recorded in either of the two districts, raising the possibility that it may have been rescued earlier in another region.Officials now suspect the leopard could have been captured and released in neighbouring Hassan district, though this has not yet been confirmed. The Mysuru forest division has written to the head office and initiated communication with all districts concerned to trace the animal's rescue history through its tag number and microchip details.Forest authorities said the verification is important because rescued leopards are routinely documented through both microchipping and ear notching, making it possible to establish where and when an animal was previously handled. In some cases, animals involved in repeated conflict situations may be fitted with a second microchip during re-tagging, ensuring that identification remains possible even if one chip fails or if the animal is captured again later.Officials said the current exercise is aimed at determining exactly where the KR Nagar leopard was first rescued and released. The identification details found on the animal are expected to help establish whether it earlier strayed into human habitation elsewhere and whether it has now become a repeat conflict leopard moving across district boundaries.The matter is under verification, with forest officials awaiting responses from other districts before confirming the leopard's origin and rescue history, explained Prabhugouda.