Forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching
The alarm was raised after Lakshatirth Vasahat resident Abhijit Sutar reported seeing a leopard around 9pm. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolhapur | Silver Rate in Kolhapur | Bank Holidays in Kolhapur | Public Holidays in Kolhapur Stay updated with the latest Kolhapur news.
He said the animal crossed the road between Lakshatirth Vasahat and Phulewadi petrol pump before disappearing into a sugar cane field. “We searched a 5-6km area with a thermal drone, but there was no leopard sighting,” range forest officer Nandkumar Nalawade said. Officials said the dense sugar cane could have prevented the thermal drone from detecting an animal hidden inside. “People, especially children, should not venture out alone at night,” honorary wildlife warden Devendra Bhosale said.
Teams combed sugar cane fields and scanned a 6km area with a thermal drone. However, by Tuesday, they had found no firm evidence of the big cat. Residents alerted Laxmipuri police, who called in the forest department. Within hours, forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team converged on the area. They cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching. The thick sugar cane, however, made their task difficult. “The large crowd also made it difficult to trace pugmarks that could confirm the animal’s presence. We have deployed a team and the search will continue. Deputy conservator of forests Dhairyasheel Patil, assistant conservator of forests Priyanka Dalvi, Nalawade, veterinary expert Santosh Walvekar and other personnel joined the operation. The uncertainty, however, was enough to unsettle residents. The suspected sighting occurred in a part of Kolhapur surrounded by settlements. As word spread, so did the scare. Officials have urged residents not to panic, but advised caution after dark. “The sugar cane is very dense. We saw dogs moving in the area, but found no leopard either during the thermal drone survey or our physical search. There is no need to panic. Download the TOI App.
Forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching Forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching Forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching Forest officials, police, firefighters and a wildlife rescue team cordoned off stretches around the suspected sighting and began searching Kolhapur : A reported leopard sighting on the Lakshatirth Vasahat-Rankala Lake road late on Monday sent forest officials, police and KMC fire brigade scrambling.