Jaipur: A leopard entering the posh Civil Lines area of the capital Jaipur on Thursday caused a stir. The leopard first entered the bungalow of Water Resources Minister Suresh Singh Rawat and then entered a school. In such a situation, teachers locked the children inside the classrooms. People remained in a state of panic for about 2 hours due to the leopard entering the area.
Upon receiving the information, a rescue team including DCF Vijaypal Singh and Ranger Jitendra Singh Shekhawat reached the spot. The Forest Department team started a search operation with a tranquilliser gun and tranquillised the leopard after two hours. After this, the Forest Department team captured it and took it to the Jhalana Leopard Reserve. Only then did the people of the area breathe a sigh of relief.
According to information, the leopard was seen roaming in the minister's bungalow around 9 am. Its presence was also confirmed in the CCTV footage, after which the police and forest department were immediately informed. The department's rescue team reached the spot in no time and the area was completely cordoned off.
The leopard roamed around the Civil Lines area for two hours, causing considerable difficulty for the team in tranquillising it. The leopard kept jumping into the minister's bungalow, then into a school, and onto the walls of houses. More than 30 forest department officials and staff were engaged in the rescue.
After hiding in the minister's bungalow for a long time, the leopard moved to another colony about 200 meters away. People locked themselves in their homes out of fear. After some time, it entered a private school located nearby. The classroom doors were immediately shut. However, the leopard escaped from there after a short while.
After effectively turning the surrounding area into a cantonment, it was finally tranquilized in a house. The leopard was tranquilized from the same house it had first entered. It had been roaming in different parts of the area thereafter. The Forest Department team has now captured the leopard and taken it to the Jhalana Leopard Reserve.
In the last few months, leopards have entered populated areas of Jaipur multiple times, creating an atmosphere of fear among Jaipur residents. In recent months, leopards have been sighted in several areas of Jaipur, including Durgapura, Gopalpura, Jagatpura, Kho-Nagorian, and Vidhyadhar Nagar. Forest department officials state that panthers are increasingly venturing into cities in search of food.
