Early on Monday, a leopard chased a cattle herder in Delhi’s Jagatpur village, hours after forest officials laid a trap to capture the elusive feline that has kept villagers on edge for days. Fear has taken deep root in the village on the city’s outskirts. Mehfrooz Ali, 65, told The Indian Express, “We have stopped going to the farms. Instead of every day, we now go only twice or thrice a week. And we never go alone.” He has been farming in the area for decades and was also the first one to report the sighting of a leopard there in 2016. “We move in groups of five or six; even then, we avoid early mornings or late evenings. It has affected our livelihood,” Ali added. The Department of Forests and Wildlife has empowered the divisional forest officer to initiate capture and relocation efforts under Section 11 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972. In a public meeting with villagers on July 8, officials acknowledged the recurring leopard presence since at least 2016. Villagers, however, alleged that no concrete action had been taken in all these years. “Officers and experts sit inside air-conditioned rooms. Only we know what it feels like to walk through the fields, always on edge,” said Ali. At the meeting, senior officials from the forest department pointed to examples of “successful human-animal coexistence” in other parts of the country, such as in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Mumbai. But Ali pushed back, “There are leopard attacks there as well. It’s not the same as what they claim.” Residents said they are not hostile to the animal but want it relocated to ensure safety on both sides. “We don’t want the leopard harmed. We want it trapped and taken somewhere safe. for it to be rescued and for our safety,” Ali said. Chief Wildlife Warden Shyam Sundar Kandpal directed the Central Forest Division to carry out the rescue with “minimum trauma” to the animal, using standard procedures and personnel under supervision, via a letter issued on July 11. “You are hereby permitted to initiate steps for safe rescue and translocation of the said animal to a suitable natural habitat/ Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, by way of employing capturing, trapping and baiting practices, by engaging forest department personnel under your supervision,” read his letter. The operation is being supported by veterinary and logistics teams from the National Zoological Park and experts from Delhi University’s Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems. According to the letter, daily reports are to be submitted “till successful rescue and translocation of the leopard is completed”. The trap was laid on Sunday night. The documentary evidence of a leopard’s presence was first recorded on June 15 via a camera trap set up by a wildlife enthusiast, Hemant Garg. As per photos accessed by The Indian Express, frequent sightings were recorded via the camera trap. For instance, the animal was captured by the camera again, around 8.30 pm on June 24, roughly 15 minutes after the track was seen to be used by villagers.
