No spreading leopard rumours, appeals Ahmedabad forest department

“The leopard usually comes out during the evening and night hours and is a shy animal, and humans are not its natural prey; hence, people do not need to panic, but maintaining vigilance is definitely necessary. The forest department team is alert and fully prepared, and an intensive search for the leopard is ongoing,” the department said in a statement in Gujarati.

Cautioning against the dangers of fake information, the department said a recent viral video on social media had a message that a leopard had been rescued from the Chandkheda area, which was in fact an old video shot in some other state. “People are requested to stay away from such rumours and not to spread them,” the release stated.

Four teams of the forest department are involved in the search operation, including thermal drones, to rescue the leopard.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday morning, messages spread on sighting of a leopard cub from under a car in another housing society in the Ghuma area – Green City. A video of the same also went viral on social media.

However, in another statement issued in this context, the Ahmedabad Social Forestry Department said that on reaching the spot, the team of forest officials found it to be pugmarks of a kitten. “A cat had emerged from under another car. So, the video comes out to be that of a cat and not a leopard,” the statement said.

It reiterated the appeal not to spread rumours and issued a contact number – 76000 09845 – to get any information on any wildlife