Hyderabad: The incident on Monday in Shadnagar where a leopard strayed into a residential area is not the first incident where a big cat came calling to the city. “It won’t be the last either,” according to a senior forest department official.
“Leopards do not need thick jungles to live in. The rocky areas around the city and the scrub forests offer excellent homes for these big cats. As their habitat is being encircled by development, construction and roads, you will see more of these instances,” the official said.
It is not uncommon to see human animal interactions, even those involving leopards, in parts of Ranga Reddy district.
For instance, for many months last year, a couple of leopards have been roaming in the Yacharam mandal of Ranga Reddy district. Though the forest department made intensive efforts to trap it, all attempts have failed so far.
There is a good population of leopards in the scrub forests around the city.
As the city engulfs their habitat, they will come into human residential areas, the official said.
