Forest department dismisses leopard sighting in Sambhajinagar

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Hours after CCTV footage sparked a leopard scare in Ulka Nagari area on Wednesday, the forest department officially denied the presence of a big cat.The footage, recorded around 12:15 AM, initially caused panic among residents. However, range forest officer (RFO) Sagar Kute stated that after examining the video with wildlife experts, the animal was identified as a common cat."The area has paver blocks installed throughout, which prevented us from finding any pugmarks. However, expert analysis confirmed the animal is a domestic cat. We appeal to citizens not to panic but to report any suspicious activity to the forest department immediately," Kute said.Earlier in the day, the forest department dispatched teams to scan Ulka Nagari and its surrounding areas. The teams searched for physical evidence or signs of a predator's presence but found nothing to suggest a leopard was in the vicinity.Wildlife conservationist Kishor Pathak explained the confusion. "The animal passed very close to the camera lens, creating an optical illusion that made it appear much larger than it actually was. Furthermore, the distinctive ‘rosette' spot patterns unique to leopards were completely absent from the animal in the footage," he said.The localised panic stems from a previous incident in April 2024, when a lone leopard spent considerable time in Ulka Nagari and nearby areas. That leopard used the local nullahs (drains) to move undetected through city limits for weeks. Despite the forest department setting multiple trap cages, the animal remained elusive and was last spotted near a mall in Chikalthana area before presumably returning to its natural habitat.While this latest sighting was a false alarm, the region remains a known leopard habitat. Areas such as Sillod, Vaijapur, Paithan, and Gangapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district have significant leopard populations, often drawn to the cover provided by local sugar cane cultivation.