Pug marks lead to main road junction towards Chamundi Hill; Wild cat suspected to have moved to Chamundi Hill

Two cages placed; 8 additional CCTV cameras installed

Mysuru: The staff of Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo) have found the pug marks of a Leopard inside the Zoo premises which has given rise to suspicion that another wild cat may have strayed into the Zoo.

Recently, a leopard had strayed into the Zoo and had perched itself on a tree within the enclosure of Lion-Tailed Macaque. The Zoo authorities, after tracing the leopard, tranquillised it and released into the forest.

Meanwhile, Zoo Executive Director C. Ravishankar, speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, said that the pug marks were found inside the Zoo premises on Tuesday midnight and as precautionary measures two cages have been placed to trap the wild cat.

He further said that night patrolling has been intensified with 25 Zoo staff patrolling the Zoo and added that eight additional CCTV Cameras have been installed at vantage points to capture the wild cat if it is inside the Zoo.

This apart, additional combing operations are being conducted from 6 am to 8.30 am and only when it is confirmed that no wild animal is around, visitors and tourists are allowed inside, he said.

Stating that the leopard had moved towards Chamundi Hill, the Executive Director said that the pug marks led them towards the main road junction on Chamundi Hill Road and could not be traced further as pug marks could not be found on the roads and suspected that the leopard might have gone towards Chamundi Hill.

He urged the tourists and visitors not to panic as all precautionary measures have been taken to protect the tourists and visitors.