Hunt for leopard in Bhubaneswar ends with a wild cat

The forest department on Sunday denied reports of leopard sightings in Bhubaneswar and clarified that there are no chances of a leopard being sighted in the state capital.

Following media reports of a leopard sighting on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar, near Airport dumping yard, Forest department officials installed trap cameras to check on the movement of the animal. Cages were also installed with chicken inside them to trap the animal.

However, the leopard did not turn up. Forest officials suspect it to be a wild cat. Moreover, there are no pugmarks or any other signs to suggest the presence of a leopard in the area. Forest officials clarified that they did not find any signs of a leopard.

The local range officer appealed to people not to believe things circulating on social media and said there is no truth in these claims.

“This is to clarify that we have not seen any signs of any leopard here. We had laid trap cameras and the visuals show it to be a wild cat. However, we have informed animal experts who will ascertain if it is a wild cat or any other animal,” informed range officer Radhakanta Hota.