NASHIK
: A leopard was spotted in the Gangapur Road area on Wednesday morning sparking panic among residents.
This is the second leopard spotting in the densely populated areas of core Nashik city within just 26 days. Forest department officials said patrolling has been stepped up in the area to track the leopard down.
A guard of a residential complex spotted the leopard in the
Rameshwarnagar
area around 6.30 am on Wednesday.
He immediately alerted a resident and the police and forest department personnel were contacted.
The watchman told the police that when the leopard banged against the gate of the building, he hid in his room. After roaming about for a minute or two, the wild cat left. The police and forest officials rushed to the spot and combed the entire area. The forest department personnel checked the bushes and overgrown areas in Rameshwarnagar garden and burst firecrackers on an open plot to flush the animal out. The search continued beyond 10 am, but the leopard could not be found.
Leopard spotted in Nashik's Gangapur Rd residential area
Vrishali Gade
, a forest officer, said: "By the time we reached the spot, the leopard had left, and despite our intensive combing of the area, the wild cat remained elusive. Our personnel are still maintaining a vigil. There have been instances of a leopard entering the nearby Bendkulenagar area. Therefore, it is possible the wild cat had ventured into Rameshwarnagar as well."
The big cat could have come from the forest area beside the Godavari river near
Navshya Ganapati temple
in search of food, but might have lost its way. Gade said that if anyone spots a leopard, they should immediately contact the forest department but should not spread rumours.
News of a leopard prowling Ramesharnagar spread like wildfire in the Gangapur Road area and many people, who were out on morning walks, quickly returned home. Some residents said they came to know of the leopard only through messages on their cellphone and videos circulated. There are several residential areas in the Rameshwarnagar, Pipeline Road, of the Gangapur Road area. On November 17, a male and a female leopard were spotted in two different localities - Savatanagar and Govindnagar - which are 4km apart. Both the leopards were trapped and rescued then. Rameshwarnagar is approximately 8km from Govindnagar.
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