Leopard sighted in OFAJ returns to biodiversity park
   Date :20-Jul-2021

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Staff Reporter :
 
Camera trap captured the leopard’s movement in Ambazari Biodiversity Park
 
 
The leopard that was believed to have been wandering in Ordnance Factory Ambajhari Estate (OFAj), but was rarely sighted, has returned to the Ambazari Biodiversity Park behind the city’s Ambazari lake, from where it had possibly come, on July 16. One camera trap captured a leopard movement near the Ambazari Biodiversity Park on last Friday which was likely the same wild animal entered the OFAj estate and now it went back to its natural habitat, claimed Forest Department on Monday. The forest department also issued the photograph of the leopard.
 

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“Though the leopard went back to its natural habitat, the risk of man-animal conflict around the city is still high because the wild animal is got habitual to enter human localities. However, every individual must take care and inform the forest department if they sight any leopard near the city,” said Range Forest Officer Ashish Ninawe to The Hitavada. After sighting of the leopard in camera trap and getting information of leopard spotting by citizens near Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University Campus, the Hingna forest department team started search operation near Kothari Layout, Amravati Road on Sunday night. The joint team of forest department (10 persons) and State Reserve Police Force (30 personnel) found pugmarks of a leopard near the area.
 
“We have formed a joint team which will carry out the search operation for next few days in Biodiversity Park and OFAj estate both. There are eight camera traps were installed at OFAj estate,” said RFO Ninawe. The leopard was first sighted on July 9 in OFAj by a security guard near Nagalwadi village situated beside the OFAj area. A joint team of Forest Department and OFAj conducted a search operation where they found pugmarks of a leopard. Thereafter, it was again spotted on July 15 by a Defence Security Corps (DSC) personal and an OFAj employee.