Leopard spotted twice in a day on Pune airport premises; forest dept steps up monitoring

Pune, Nov 22 (PTI) A leopard has been spotted twice in a single day on the premises of the Pune airport earlier this week, prompting the authorities to intensify surveillance in the area, officials said.

The authorities of the Pune airport then informed the forest department that the animal was first spotted behind Bay No. 9 around 5.30 am on November 19 and later near Taxi Link K4 around 7.40 pm, an official statement said.

The big cat has been under monitoring since the last 15-20 days within the limits of Lohegaon village, where the airport is located. A trap cage has been set up for its capture, while camera traps have been deployed to track the animal's movement, forest officials said.

The department has already advised the airport and Air Force authorities to adopt precautionary measures to prevent the leopard from straying into restricted operational zones, the statement added.

It is essential that suggested measures are implemented immediately as the area falls under sensitive aviation operations, officials said.

Forest personnel continue to maintain heightened vigilance to ensure public safety and avoid any conflict situation, they added.

This is not the first time the big cat has been sighted near the airport, as in April this year, a leopard was seen on the premises. PTI SPK NP