Sunday, 24 December 2023 | PNS | NAINITAL
A leopard was caught in a cage placed by the Forest department in the rural area of Bhimtal block of Nainital district where three persons have been killed by a big cat in the recent past. The leopard was caught in the cage placed by the department in the Dudli village. The block Pramukh Harish Singh Bisht informed the department about the leopard being trapped in the cage. The Nainital divisional forest officer said that it has not been confirmed whether the leopard trapped in the cage is the big cat responsible for the deaths of three persons. The department will first ascertain whether this leopard is a maneater and if not, the cages and cameras placed by the department will remain in place as leopard sightings have been reported for a considerable time now from various parts of the Bhimtal block. The department will be placing cages in all locations of the block where leopards or tigers are being sighted. The block Pramukh said that if the department removes the cage from where the leopard was caught and if some unwanted incident occurs, the department will be responsible. He said that he will lodge a case against the department if that is needed in such a situation.
Meanwhile, the villagers in the areas affected by the maneater state that the supply of fodder is considerably less than the demand. Singh has talked to department officials regarding this and directed that the required quantity of fodder should be provided. He further said that the district administration should install 40 to 50 solar lights in the Gram Panchayats where people are at risk from big cats. He has met the district magistrate and sought this measure. The block Pramukh has also appealed to the people to observe all precautions till the Forest department confirms whether the leopard trapped is the maneater.
