Leopard strays into residential area in Indore, rescued

Indore, Dec 17 (PTI) Forest authorities on Wednesday captured a leopard that had entered a residential township in Indore, officials said.

Residents of 'Sahara City', adjacent to the Devguradia forest area, had been complaining for the past four days about the leopard's movements, Divisional Forest Officer Pradeep Mishra told PTI.

"Following the complaint, a cage was set up in the residential township, in which the leopard got trapped. It is a six-year-old male leopard," he said.

The big cat was later sent to the city's Kamala Nehru Zoological Museum. It will be released in a forest after a health check-up, the official said.

More than 500 incidents of human-wildlife conflict have been reported in Indore district over the past three years, and over 300 rescue operations have been carried out, saving leopards and other carnivorous and herbivorous wild animals, he said.

"We are using drones equipped with thermal imaging technology to monitor wild animals in the forest areas adjacent to the city. These drones can monitor the movement of wild animals even in the dark at night, and citizens can be alerted if necessary," he added. PTI HWP MAS GK