Mumbai: Search on for leopard that attacked 3-year-old in Aarey

Forest officials said that six known leopards move around Aarey Milk Colony, but they are not sure which of the six attacked the minor on March 20. “In Aarey, we have eight camera traps to record the presence of leopards. But we still cannot identify which leopard it was. We have stepped up our patrolling and installed more trap cameras,” said a senior forest officer.

According to forest officials, patrolling has been increased to 18 hours following the incident, starting from 3 pm to the next morning at 9 am, with three shifts and more officers on duty. Earlier, just one team would cover almost all of Aarey Milk Colony.

Near Aarey Milk Colony is a campus of Force One, a specialised counter-terrorism wing of the Maharashtra Police. Leopards frequently enter the campus due to a number of stray dogs, as well as the open dumping of garbage there, forest officials said.

Last week for the first time, camera traps were installed by the forest department at the Force One campus to record the movements of visiting leopards.  “It took us much convincing as Force One campus is a sensitive facility. The agency, however, ultimately complied,” said another senior forest official.

The Force One campus not only includes accommodation units but training facilities and a firing range.

“In the residential buildings, there have been instances where leopards have entered and gone up to the first floor chasing stray dogs. But fortunately, there have been no instances of conflict so far,” said an official.

Forest officials clarified that the mandate of the current operation is only to identify the unknown leopard, not to trap it. Local politicians and the Mumbai Police have already formally communicated to the forest department to trap the animal in a cage. The forest department has vehemently opposed the request.