Teams with cages and tranquiliser guns stationed in Bengaluru area to catch leopard

Bengaluru: Three teams of forest officials have been stationed in Singasandra near Electronic City here to catch a leopard that was reportedly spotted in the area, officials said on Monday. Around 30 members from the forest department with tranquiliser guns have been deployed in and around Singasandra.

“Our team is already stationed in the area. Cages have already been placed,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka Subhash K Malkhede told PTI.

”We have asked the doctor at the Bannerghatta Zoo to be there with medicines and as a precautionary measure, our forest officials with tranquiliser guns have also been deployed in the area. As soon as we spot it (the leopard), we will take it away and tranquilise it if required,” he added.

A video, which claimed that the leopard was spotted near Whitefield recently, went viral on social media platforms yesterday. However, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) S S Lingaraja said the video was shot in Singasandra — which is close to Bannerghatta National Park — and not Whitefield.

“The leopard was first spotted on the premises of an apartment. Thereafter, it went out on the road where it was spotted again. Our staff is trying to locate the leopard. We have been keeping a close watch. We are keeping vigil. We have already placed cages near Singasandra and our teams are trying to locate the leopard,” Lingaraja said.

Some of the major information technology and biotechnology firms are located in the surrounding areas of Singasandra.