Dehradun: In Dehradun’s outskirts, two young men approached a leopard trapped in a snare to take a selfie with it, frightening the animal. The leopard struggled to free itself and suddenly broke out of the snare, attacking one of the men. The young man narrowly escaped.
Although the villagers quickly informed the forest department, the leopard managed to escape before the officials arrived, frightened by the daredevil act of two youths who tried to get close to it.
Leopard caught in the trap set for wild boar
In Purkal village, a leopard became ensnared in a trap set for wild boar in the nearby forest. As per the villagers, two young men approached the injured leopard to take a selfie with it, but the leopard managed to free itself from the snare and attacked one of them, who narrowly escaped. The commotion caused the leopard to flee back into the forest. In response, the forest department has increased patrols and started searching for the leopard. However, Amit Kanwar, DFO, Mussoorie forest division denied the selfie claims, “We have received the reports from villagers, yet can’t confirm the selfie incident as of now. We couldn’t find a snare at the spot but the leopard was entangled in the wires kept near the village. Our team has registered a forest offense case against the unknown individuals.”
Movement of leopard increased amid intensifying cold
With the onset of winter, the days have become shorter, and it is getting dark earlier in the evening. This has led to increased movement of leopards in the rural areas adjacent to the forest. Recently, a leopard that had been roaming the nearby forest for several days got trapped in a snare meant for wild boar. The residents near Purkal village are in a state of panic due to recent leopard sightings.
The forest department team is busy searching for the leopard
After this, the forest department team arrived at the scene and began searching for the leopard. Raipur range forest officials stated that the area is being patrolled throughout the night, with air firing conducted to drive the leopard away from the residential zones. Additionally, sightings of two leopards have been reported in the Kimari and Purukul areas.
Last year too, there was terror of leopard in many areas of Dehradun
Wildlife movement increases in the outer areas of Dehradun during winter. Last year, several areas in Doon experienced panic due to leopard attacks. In October, a leopard devoured a four-year-old child in the courtyard of a house in Singli village. Shortly afterward, another child was attacked and injured by a leopard in Sondhowali.
