Fear spreads as leopard spotted in Samba

Vishal Jasrotia

Samba, November 25

The sight of a leopard in the residential area near Padel village created panic among locals here today. However, there were no reports of any attack on cattle or humans.

According to the police, residents of Padel village and adjoining Mandies (villages) spotted a leopard sitting on the top of hill near ITI College this morning and informed the police and wildlife officials.

“Soon after receiving the information, a police team reached the spot and asked the public to move to safer locations. The police team fired two to three rounds in the air to scare away the leopard. In an attempt to alley fear among the residents, the Wildlife Department deployed 12-member team to trap the leopard prowling in the area,” said a police spokesperson.

“The Wildlife Department has set up two traps at the site and its surrounding areas where the leopard was seen. The wildlife officials will patrol the neighbourhood and will try to tranquilise and capture the animal. So far, we have instructed the public not to panic,” said Neeraj Badoo, a wildlife official. The big cat, which has been spotted this morning, was first sighted about two days ago and since then it caused considerable worry among locals.