Odisha: Leopard Spotted Near International Airport, Forest Department Launches Hunt

A team from the forest department rushed to the spot and launched searches to verify the authenticity of the sighting of the big cat

Bhubaneshwar: Panic gripped this city of Odisha following claims that a big cat was spotted near Biju Patnaik International Airport here. A resident, Harapriya Jena, claimed to have seen a leopard near the area and raised an alarm.

A team from the forest department rushed to the spot and launched a search operation to verify the authenticity of the sighting of the big cat near the high-security zone.

Till the last report came in, armed with nets and other equipment, the team of local police and the forest department were conducting a detailed examination of the spot to get first-hand information about the incident.

Around 5 years ago, a leopard was captured near Bhubaneswar airport. After a long operation, the leopard was captured after its visual scaling of a boundary wall was caught on CCTV.

City ranger Radhakanta Hota said, “We are examining the spot, and so far we have not detected anything. But pug marks found near the spot appear to be that of jackals. However, due to rain, the pug marks are not clear much.”

The official further said that if any leopard pug mark is found, we will inform higher authorities for necessary measures.

Three teams are engaged in a search operation at the dumping yard close to the airport. The teams were pressed into operation after getting information from the officials of Bhubaneswar airport.

Two days back, a high alert was sounded at the Bhubaneswar airport following a bomb threat.