Leopard sighting stirs fear among residents in Bengaluru, advisories issued to housing associations

CCTV footage obtained from the Salarpuria Cadenza Apartment.

The Karnataka Forest Department has issued multiple advisories to several resident welfare associations close to the eastern IT corridor of Bengaluru after leopard sightings in the area.

According to sources in the department, the leopard was spotted in the wee hours of October 27, followed by another sighting on October 28 inside the Salarpuria Cadenza Apartment in Kudlu Gate.

"We have issued multiple advisories to the resident welfare associations in Kudlu Gate and the neighbouring areas to refrain from going out alone in the dark, and security has been beefed up in the areas. We have also set up cages in the area and deployed several forest personnel to catch the leopard," an official told Moneycontrol.

CCTV footage obtained from the project campus shows the leopard strolling in the common area before crossing the apartment lobby.

Officials suspected that the big cat had escaped from Bannarghatta National Park, located 8 km away, however, this is yet to be confirmed.

Leopard spotted at Cadenza apartment 1st floor in Kudlu Gate, #Bengaluru & near MS Dhoni International School

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Sub Editor|Moneycontrol

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Citizens are in a panic state. Please take some action immediately @aranya_kfd @osd_cmkarnataka @DKShivakumar @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah @PriyankKharge @BlrCityPolice https://t.co/1dSYhEVB0R pic.twitter.com/npXsn1Ugkx

— Karnataka Weather (@Bnglrweatherman) October 30, 2023

Fear grips the residents

Amartya Ghoshal, one of the residents in the Salarpuria Cadenza apartment, said the forest department issued an advisory on October 30 night, following which the RWA ramped up security in the area.

Handed over in January 2018, the project sprawls 5.2 acres of land with over 513 apartments.

"The advisory issued by the association has curbed playtime for children, and also asked residents to be cautious about movement until the leopard is caught," Ghoshal added.

The residents have also been advised to refrain from evening or morning walks until the situation is under control.

Leopard sightings in Bengaluru, which is no stranger to such incidents, have been on the rise for the last few years.

"Leopards are not purely forest-dwelling, they cohabit in rural areas along with humans. These sightings on the periphery of the city are because just a few years back these areas were farmlands and rural areas, and were leopard territory," Sandeep Anirudhan, an environmentalist added.

Today, such areas have evolved as real estate hubs as the city expands rapidly, thus the leopards occasionally stray in, he added.