Leopard caught on CCTV in Shamshabad; trapping operation launched

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Forest department launched an operation to capture a leopard that was spotted in Shamshabad, causing alarm among residents.

The forest department swung into action after the big cat was captured on CCTV in the early hours of Tuesday.

The forest officials installed 10 trap cameras and set up three cages to catch the leopard.

The animal was seen on CCTV wandering into a residence in Jhansimiyaguda under the Shamshabad mandal of Rangareddy district.

The local residents have been complaining about the suspected presence of a big cat in the area, stating that stray dogs and cattle had been attacked by a leopard. However, forest officials had not confirmed that it was a leopard. The reported presence of the leopard has triggered panic among residents on the outskirts of Hyderabad.

Rajendranagar MLA V Prakash Goud visited the area and requested the forest officials to take all necessary steps to capture the leopard.

Last month, a leopard was caught near Hyderabad airport in the same area. After an operation lasting for five days, forest officials trapped the big cat in a cage when it approached the live bait tied inside. The three-year-old male leopard was subsequently shifted to the Nehru Zoological Park and later released back into the forests.