Leopard Sighted Near RGIA, Traps Set Up to Catch Big Cat

Hyderabad: A leopard was sighted at the airside portion of Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), where aircraft operations are performed, between midnight and 3 am on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Following the sighting, the officials of the forest department have set up a cage to try and trap it and three CCTV cameras to track its movements, after they were informed by the RGIA on Sunday morning. An animal rescue team equipped with a vehicle has also been stationed near the airport.

Forest officials estimated that the leopard was around one-and-a-half years old and might have come in search of water or food. They have advised people staying in the vicinity of the airport to be alert and take precautions especially during the evenings and early mornings.

“The CCTV footage sent to us by airport authorities is not clear. We noticed that, there were no injuries on the leopard,” an official said.

Another forest official said that, the leopard might have come from the Shadnagar area. In February, a leopard carcass was found in Shadnagar around 25 km from RGIA. Two years ago a leopard was found in the same area in a residential locality.

An RGIA spokesperson said they had informed wildlife management authorities for necessary protocols and standard operating procedures.