Mumbai: Aarey's rogue leopard could be tranquilised

Ayush Yadav was injured by the leopard and his uncle Vinod Yadav saved him on September 26

The forest department has started preparations to tranquilise the leopard suspected of attacking people in Aarey. It has put up cages to trap it and staff and volunteers have been told to intensify camera trapping in Aarey to get the leopard's day-time activities, so tranquilisation can be attempted.

A senior FD official said, "The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests office has granted permission to tranquilize the leopard suspected behind the human-animal conflict incidents in Aarey Milk Colony. Already a total of five cages have been kept in the area and instructions have been given to prepare a plan for the tranquilisation of the animal."

Darshan Satish Kumar who was injured in the latest leopard attack on October 8

FD officials have been doing the camera tracking exercise in Aarey along with volunteers from 6 pm to 7 am post which the camera traps are deactivated. As the FD is also planning to tranquilise the leopard, it will have to get information about the animal's the day-time activity, as tranquilisation is only allowed from 7 am to 6 pm.

Sources from the FD said that instructions have been given to their staff and the team of volunteers to increase camera traps and to make sure that they remain active 24/7. Based on the information about the day-time activity of the leopard, the FD will decide where it could put up temporary machans or platforms from where the veterinarians can tranquilize the leopard.

While the forest department is taking all the best possible measures to capture the leopard, given the high density of humans in Aarey Milk Colony, tranquilizing it in this landscape will be a very challenging task.

Pintu Pandit who was also attacked by the leopard

Following the series of attacks on humans, there is a lot of anger in the minds of people staying in Aarey Milk Colony. Some residents are demanding multiple cages be installed in the area to catch the suspected leopard. A few days back a female leopard which is said to be the sibling of the suspected leopard had got trapped in one of the cages. After the attack that took place on Friday night it is clear that the one that was trapped is innocent.

History of violence

>> August 31: Unit 31 resident Lakshmi Umbersade claimed she was attacked by a leopard when she was returning home around 10 pm
>> September 2: Pintu Pandit, a man in his thirties, suffered injuries to a hand after a leopard attack near Unit 32
>> September 18: A big cat pounced on Rohit Tilak Bahadur, 10, when he was returning home around 7.30 pm near unit 31
>> September 26: A leopard attacked three-year-old Ayush Yadav at Unit 3
>> September 29: A senior citizen named Nirmal Singh was attacked in the night by a leopard near Visawa
>> September 30: Rajesh Rawat was attacked by a leopard near Sunil Maidan adjacent to Aarey
>> October 8: A 14-year-old boy, Darshan Satish Kumar was attacked by a leopard at Unit 13