Watch: Leopard captured at Forest Trek Park released in Nalgonda’s Kambalpally forest

A male leopard that evaded capture for 23 days in and around Hyderabad's Chilkur area was finally trapped on the night of July 31. After a sustained effort by the Forest Department using camera traps, cages, and live bait, it was captured and released into Kambalpally forest in Nalgonda.

Hyderabad: The leopard, which was captured after 23 days on Wednesday night in the Forest Trek Park, Chilkur, has been released in the Kambalpally forest in Nalgonda on Thursday night.

The male leopard, which is four to five years old, was shifted using a special rescue van brought from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

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The Trek Park, which was closed for visitors following the leopard sighting, will be opened on Friday, forest officials said.

The leopard was spotted by a watchman in the Medicinal Plants Board at Aziznagar on July 7. Since then the leopard had been elusive and the department constituted a special team to trap it safely. This apart, camera traps and trap cages were also set up at strategic locations.

A live goat was used as bait in the trap cage and the department’s efforts paid off as it got trapped on Wednesday at midnight. Forest officials said that in the last two years, seven leopards were successfully rescued from ICRISAT, Chilkur and Shamshabad.

The department appealed to the people to alert officials over helpline number 040-2323-1772 in case they spot any wild animals in their vicinity.

Timeline of leopard spotted and captured:

July 7: Watchman spotted a leopard in the Medicinal Plants Board area, Aziz Nagar

July 16: Leopard images captured in camera traps

July 17: Two domestic dogs killed by the leopard in Medicinal Plants Board

July 22: Leopard visuals captured on surveillance cameras at Greyhounds Hospital

July 24: Seven camera traps and two trap cages in the Greyhound campus

July 28: Leopard visuals captured in surveillance cameras of Artillery Centre, Golconda at 3.30 a.m. while crossing the road

July 29: It entered Forest Trek Park, visuals captured on surveillance cameras

July 31: Leopard captured on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday