A leopard sighting in Bengaluru’s Kengeri, Kommaghatta and Kempegowda Layout areas has raised concern among residents after footage of the animal moving along a road was recorded on a local resident’s mobile phone.
The leopard is believed to have entered the residential areas from forest land within the Sulekere forest region. Prajavani reported that residents captured visuals of the animal moving through the locality, prompting demands for its early capture.
N.R. Kamble, forest officer of the Kaggalipura range, said information had been received about the leopard moving through the Kempegowda Layout area three days earlier. The report also refers to August 27 in connection with the sighting information.
Kamble said it was common for wild animals to move from one area to another at night. He added that leopards generally do not attack people and urged residents not to panic.
The officer said the forest department would take steps to capture the leopard. The department’s response places the incident within the wider challenge of managing wildlife movement along the edges of Bengaluru’s expanding residential areas, where settlements and forest corridors can exist close to one another.
Residents, however, have asked the authorities to act quickly to locate and capture the animal. The sighting has increased concern in neighbourhoods where people may be travelling on roads or moving outdoors after dark.
The report does not provide details of any injuries, attack or property damage. It also does not specify whether forest officials have confirmed the leopard’s exact location after the footage was recorded.
The forest department’s next step is to take measures to capture the leopard, while residents have been asked not to panic as officials respond to the reported movement in the Kengeri area.
