Forest Department says it is a civet cat

Mysore/Mysuru: Tension prevailed at Akashvani premises in Yadavagiri this morning after an All India Radio (AIR) employee spotted an animal and claimed it to be a leopard.

The employee, who went near the generator room on the Akashvani campus between 5.45 am and 6 am, saw a spotted animal pass by and felt that it could be a leopard that was on the prowl inside the nearby CFTRI campus a couple of days back. He rushed inside the building and immediately informed the Forest Department officials.

The Forest staff, led by Assistant Conservator of Forests Lakshmikanth rushed to the spot and conducted a combing operation. The Forest staff said that the Akashvani premises have small shrubs and the movement of any animal is visible.

While combing the area, however, neither the leopard nor its pug marks or scat were found, they said and added that the AIR employee could have seen a civet cat and mistook it to be a leopard. To remove any apprehensions, the Department staff cleared a few bushes and even levelled them off to the ground with a stick at some places.

Pointing out that the complaint cannot be ignored, a Forest official said that four cameras have been installed in vantage points and the footage would be monitored regularly. The cameras will be on the premises for four to five days, he added.

Meanwhile, the 10 cameras installed on the CFTRI campus have not captured any movement of leopards so far but have captured the movements of civet cats. The cage placed on the CFTRI campus will be kept there for another week and the footage of the cameras would be monitored, the Forest official said.