By The News Observer Desk,
Karwar: After days of sleepless nights for residents, the leopard that had been roaming freely and causing panic in the Chittakul Gram Panchayat area was finally captured on Friday morning.
The big cat had been frequently spotted around Savarpe and surrounding villages in the Chittakul panchayat limits for the past one week, spreading fear among locals who were worried about the safety of their families and livestock.
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Following repeated complaints, the Karnataka Forest Department swung into action. Range Forest Officer (RFO) V.P. Nayak and his team visited the spot, assessed the situation, and immediately set up a trap cage in a strategic location near Savarpe.
For the last three days, officials had placed the specially designed cage — camouflaged with branches and bushes to blend into the forested surroundings — in an area the leopard was known to frequent.
On Friday morning, at around 6:30 AM, the leopard finally walked into the trap. Forest officials rushed to the spot and safely secured the animal.
The captured leopard, estimated to be 2 to 3 years old, was later released into a wildlife sanctuary in a safe and controlled manner.
With the leopard now out of the area, villagers who had been living in fear for the past week finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Present during the operation were RFO V.P. Nayak, DRFO D.R. Nayak, along with forest staff including Ganesh Nayak, Ramesh, and Kiran Kumar.
Reporting and Videography by Saikiran Babrekar
