Leopard on prowl in East Godavari; wildlife experts say it’s in search of new habitat

The leopard had spent 18 days at the DWRF before moving towards the nurseries of Kadiyam on September 24 night.

Representative image. (Photo credit: Unsplash)

Drone cameras have been deployed to trace the movement of a leopard, which is on prowl in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh for the last 18 days.

The leopard was spotted near flower nurseries of Kadiyam over the last few days, triggering panic among villagers, reports said.

East Godavari in-charge District forest officer S Bharani told the media that pug marks of the leopard have been found, and they believe it could be between 3-4 years of age.

The police official further stated that nursery farmers along the banks of Godavari are being trained to protect themselves from a possible leopard attack. The leopard is possibly moving towards Mandapeta or Alamuru villages in the adjoining BR Konaseema district, reports said.

CCTV cameras and trap cages, tranquilisers have been set up to trap the leopard and officials are creating awareness in nearby villages to take measures if the leopard enters the village.

Where and when was it spotted first?

The leopard was first spotted on September 6 near Diwancheruvu West Reserve Forest (DWRF) on the outskirts of Rajamahendravaram (Rajahmundry) city.

The leopard had spent 18 days at the DWRF before moving towards the nurseries of Kadiyam on September 24 night.

District Forest officer Bharani said that they have been sharing inputs and signs left behind by the leopard with experts of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Dehradun and leading experts from Pune.

Sharing the assessment of WII experts, the police official said that the leopard appears to be young and healthy and is possibly exploring new habitat, suggested by its signs and behaviour.

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