Leopard walked from BNP to Electronic City through drain, hid in abandoned private property

Bengaluru: The leopard, sighted in Electronics City on September 18 and captured a week later, may have lived in the vicinity of the tech hub for two months, forest officials say. 

The five-year-old big cat had sought shelter in a 30-acre desolate property of a private company. At least nine acres of the property are covered in dense bushes, making the area a preferred hideout for the animal. 

Fear gripped the tech corridor after CCTV footage showed the leopard moving around the area last week. Thirty-five forest officers were deployed to comb the area. They trailed the leopard’s scent and identified the pug marks to strategically place 16 camera traps. 

Twenty images taken by three cameras revealed its shelter.

On September 21, forest officials installed three normal cages (5 feet high and 3 feet long) to lure the leopard, but the effort did not pay off. Two thermal drones were also used to track its movement. 

Forest officials then decided to deploy the Tumkur cage (12x10 feet) after zeroing in on specific locations where the leopard's movements were higher. 

Sticking to the traditional method, officials waited for the big cat to walk into the cage instead of darting it. 

Raghu M, Range Forest Officer, KR Puram, said that the leopard frequented a specific place where wastewater was released. Since it had rained on Tuesday, the pug marks were easily noticeable, helping trap the leopard. 

Where did the leopard come from? 

A stormwater drain running from NICE Road to Begur is connected to the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP). The leopard may have snooped into the drain and walked through it to reach Electronics City, officials say. 

The leopard also jumped a 10-foot-high compound company to enter the premises of a private company. Since the land is in disuse, dense bushes have grown inside it, creating ideal conditions for the leopard to seek shelter. 

V Ganesh, Assistant Conservator of Forests, said the leopard might have walked this long stretch to explore a larger area. Being healthy and capable of hunting, it would have gone back to the forest during the mating season. 

In search of food

Five days ago, the leopard fed on a dog and then rested, frustrating the efforts to trace it. But on Monday, after getting hungry, the leopard sneaked out of the shelter in search of food. 

Timeline

Sept 17: First spotted near the Electronics City toll plaza

Sept 20: Spotted near the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT). Camera traps were placed, campus was combed. 

Sept 21: Thermal drones operating recorded its movements. Three normal cages were installed. 

Sept 22: Tumkur cage was installed 

Sept 24: Leopard walked into the trap