Maharashtra: Vasai leopard finally trapped

Leopard snarls after being captured

The male leopard, which was first sighted at the remains of the Indo-Portuguese fort in Vasai on March 29, which triggered panic among residents, has been caught. Joint efforts of the Maharashtra forest department, wildlife NGOs, and researchers helped nab the big cat in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The officials had installed multiple trap cameras to monitor the movement of the leopard, which initially survived on the stray dogs but, later, it is believed that the big cat was surviving on rodents that are found in abundance at the fort.

The big cat being carried into the truck after being captured. Pics/Hanif Patel

Local residents and social activists claimed that over a dozen stray dogs had gone missing in the area after the leopard was sighted, but sources in the forest department told mid-day that no carcasses of any animal were found in the fort area.

Of late, the leopard was mostly seen near the creek side of the fort and the wildlife researchers believe that it might be eating crabs, fish, and other aquatic animals found near the thick mangrove forest. The Range Forest Officer, Mandvi Shweta Ade, and Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF), Dahanu Madhumita S. remained unavailable for comment over the development.

Camera trap image of the leopard

Sources told mid-day, "The authorities concerned had installed two cages at different locations in the Vasai fort area to trap the wild cat. We had to realign the cages that they had installed and this helped us catch the leopard on the 25th day." After the wild cat was captured at around 3 pm, it was taken to the range forest office (RFO) in Mandvi, Virar East, where its medical tests were conducted.

Thousands of local fishing communities had been facing difficulties after the first leopard sighting near Vasai fort, as the authorities concerned had barricaded all the exits to restrict public movement for 12 hours after 7 pm. The recently launched RoRo boat services, connecting Vasai and Bhayandar via sea were also impacted as the Vasai fort road leading to Vasai jetty was barricaded in the evening. Yogesh Mokal, Director of Suvarndurg Shipping and Marine Services Private Limited said, "The barricades were installed at the entry and exit gates of Vasai fort road, so the passengers were unable to come.

Joint efforts of the Maharashtra Forest Department, wildlife NGOs, and researchers helped nab the big cat. Pics/Hanif patel

Our business was hampered by 50 per cent. Now, since the leopard has been captured, we have requested the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) to allow us to ferry RoRo boats. In the last 25 days, the last boat from Vasai jetty was 3.45 pm, but now the passengers can travel beyond this limited time." A social worker Kuldeep Vartak said, "The local residents are very happy that the leopard has been caught as the area was barricaded and the fishermen had been incurring losses in their business."

"We are thankful to the forest officials, wildlife NGOs, and researchers, especially the wildlife warden group that had come from Dahanu as they worked hard to trap the leopard," said Vartak, who was one among the social workers who remained present throughout 25 nights when the rescue operations were at its peak. Additionally, sources have said a leopard has been spotted in the Uttan area in Bhayandar.