A leopard, which had become a source of terror in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, was finally captured by a joint team of forest department and police officials on Wednesday. The leopard was captured after a 10-hour operation.
The Thakurdwara tehsil forest in Moradabad is contiguous with the Uttarakhand forests. During summers, leopards from the Jim Corbett National Park often stray into Thakurdwara in search of prey and water. For the past month, there has been a constant threat from leopards in these forests, with several attacks on farmers reported.
Locals on Tuesday spotted a leopard hiding under a culvert in Khawaspura Dhantola village, triggering panic and prompting them to alert the police and forest department. The teams called in the fire brigade and attempted to flush out the leopard using nets and water, but to no avail.
A cage was then brought in, with a goat inside, placed near the culvert to lure the leopard, but it remained elusive.
A high-pressure water jet was used to force the leopard out, after which it was successfully trapped in the cage. The goat was released, and the leopard was taken away by the forest department officials. A large crowd of villagers had gathered, and a collective sigh of relief swept through the area.
Five Injured In Leopard Attacks
Villagers were too scared to go to their fields. In the past 20 days, five people have been injured in leopard attacks. Six days ago, a farmer, Sukhlal, was critically injured in an attack in Alamgirpur village. This was a different leopard. Villagers rescued him using sticks and batons to chase away the leopard.
The forest department team, after a five-hour operation, managed to capture the leopard back then.
Forest Department Advises Caution
About 20 days ago, the second leopard attacked and injured four people, including a woman, while they were working in the fields in Kalyanpur. A cage was set up then, but the leopard managed to outsmart the villagers and the forest department, escaping the trap every time.
Thakurdwara and Kant tehsils of Moradabad are bearing the brunt of the leopard menace. Farmers are terrified and unable to work in their fields. Forest officials have advised farmers not to venture into the fields alone, to go in groups, and to make noise to scare away any leopards.
They have also urged immediate reporting of any leopard sightings to facilitate timely capture. Villagers say that while two leopards have been caught in a week, several others remain at large, posing an ongoing threat.
