• Entry to KRS not closed   
• Three cages placed inside the Garden to nab big cat

Mysore/Mysuru: A leopard has been found roaming on the premises of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam in Srirangapatna taluk on Wednesday, creating a scare. The CCTV camera footage accessed from site shows the big cat wandering near the South Gate (see pic). Officials at KRS are on high alert.

This is for the first time that a leopard has been seen near the Dam site. Locals say that the leopard was wandering in nearby areas since the last two weeks but had been caught on camera while moving near the South Gate. 

“Leopards have never been sighted near the Dam site. The feline might have come from nearby lush green fields in villages adjacent to the Dam or from the hillocks which are its natural habitat. Forest Department Officers have placed three cages, near South, North and East Gates to capture it,” Vasudev, Assistant Executive Engineer, Cauvery Neeravari Nigama Limited (CNNL), told Star of Mysore.

Meanwhile, CNNL officials, Police, Horticulture and Forest Department Officers held a meeting to work out a strategy to nab the intruder. The spotting of leopard has not been made public so far as it may shoo away tourists from visiting the Brindavan Gardens which is starved of visitors ever since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. 

Combing operations have been launched by Forest Department personnel in nearby areas to locate the leopard. Extra precautions have been taken at entry points, Brindavan Gardens, parking lot and the Dam site fearing the presence of leopard. The big cat might tend to make an entry into such locations after sunset. 

Police have been deployed at the end points of the Dam to keep an eye on the movements of the feline. “We are watching the CCTV footages to determine from which area the big cat has come to the Dam site. A team comprising Police and Forest personnel has been kept on alert,” Vasudev said.

Usually, leopards live in and around urban areas, buffer zones and wild habitats and due to rapid urbanisation, they venture into human habitat looking for easy prey like dogs.  

The first ever leopard census in India shows there are 12,000 leopards in the entire country and Karnataka stands second in India with 2,500 leopards.