Hyderabad: People belonging to some villages in Kandukur mandal in Ranga Reddy district are a scared lot, given the recent sighting of a leopard lurking around in their neighbourhood.
However, this is not the first time that a leopard has been spotted in this region. There have been cases of cattle being killed by leopards here on previous occasions.
A forest department official said, “It is common for leopards to stray into areas located on the fringes of the forests in search of food or water. Sometimes, they even travel more than 15 kms in one night from their habitat for the same without getting caught. Leopards are a clever and adaptive species. The leopard prowling in this village must have strayed from some nearby shrub forest.” The forest department has alerted range officers to look out for any further sightings.
A forest department official said people should not leave their homes at night and burst fire crackers near their houses which will scare away the animal.
