Mysuru:  Following frequent sightings of leopards in city and fringe areas, the Forest Department that is planning to trap and release them into their habitats away from human-populated areas, has ordered six hi-tech cages that are expected to arrive soon.

Disclosing this to Star of Mysore, DCF (Wildlife) V. Yedukondalu said that there were 20 cages in Mysuru District and six more have been ordered.

Stating that there are about eight leopards in Chamundi Hill, he said that cages have been placed at NIE College campus and Mandakalli Airport premises where they were sighted recently after conducting combing operations there. He, however, added that there are no reports of leopard attacking humans.

He said that the public need not panic as the leopards are ten times afraid as we are and they are very shy animals who come to urban habitats in search of food under the cover of darkness.

The DCF said that the Forest Department would be conducting training to the staff of Revenue and other Departments soon on ‘How to drive away leopards when sighted in urban parts, precautionary measures to be taken to avoid them entering human habitat, measures to be taken while transporting them after they are trapped, etc.’

It may be recalled that in the past one week, leopards were sighted at Lalithadripura, K.C. Layout, Mandakalli Airport and J.P. Nagar. At J.P. Nagar, the feline entered the premises of an apartment and injured a dog.

On Wednesday night, M. Kumar Garade, a resident of Siddhartha Layout in city, who was on a long drive in his Maruti Swift car sighted a leopard sitting on the middle of the road atop Chamundi Hill had videographed it. The video, showing the leopard moving close to the vehicle and staring frequently at the occupants of the car, is doing rounds in the social media.

A video of a leopard and a porcupine walking on the road near the Race Course is also doing the rounds.

Meanwhile, experts say that large scale unscientific dumping of animal waste on the outskirts of the city was attracting stray dogs. Leopards come in search of dogs, its favourite meal, and sometimes enter localities close to the forest area.