Elusive leopard finally trapped near Hyderabad Airport

Hyderabad: A leopard which was moving around Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad on the outskirts of Hyderabad for the last five days was finally trapped by the Forest authorities in the early hours of Friday, officials said.

The leopard, whose presence had created panic in villages around the airport, was trapped in a cage set up by the Forest officials. This brought a sense of relief to people who were worried about their safety since the big cat was sighted on April 28.

The trapped leopard has been shifted to Nehru Zoological Park in the city. Forest officials said after the check-up and monitoring its condition, the animal will be released to Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

The Forest Department, which was on its toes for the last five days, had set up five cages and 20 trap cameras as part of the operation to catch the elusive big cat. It got trapped in one of the cages, falling for bait.

The leopard was sighted in the airport area near the aircraft repair centre in the early hours of the day near Gollapalli under Shamshabad municipality in Ranga Reddy district.

The airport staff saw the leopard jumping over the boundary wall of the airport near Gollapalli. They immediately alerted the Forest Department, which launched an operation to catch it.

There have been a few instances of leopards straying in areas close to human habitations in the city outskirts. In 2020, a leopard strayed in Rajendranagar area and was seen resting in the middle of the road. It was later trapped by the Forest Department.