Leopard Sighted Once Again At DRDO Lab Campus In Pune
Vishrantwadi, 2nd September 2022: Few hours after forest officials and NGO volunteers suspended their search and rescue operation for the large cat, a patrolling team at the Research and Development Establishment (Engineers) reported seeing the animal again about 2.30am on Wednesday.
On the Alandi Road campus of the Research and Development Establishment-Engineers, a top Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) facility, the forest department has once more started its operation to search for the leopard.
After being discovered for the first time on the campus of the Research and Development Establishment (R&DE)-Engineers on August 23, Wednesday’s sighting was the leopard’s third. Then, in addition to using a drone to locate the animal, the forest officials had also set up 20 trap cameras. But it was impossible to find the leopard.
According to Mukesh Sanas, a range forest ranger, “The leopard was not visible on our trap cameras from August 24 through August 30 at night. We had deployed a sniffer dog to find the leopard, but the dog was unable to find the leopard’s trail. On August 30 (Tuesday) night, after taking these variables into account, we suspended the search effort.”
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He stated, “We will resume using our original plan in light of the recent leopard sighting. To identify potential trails, we will set up trap cameras at both the old and new locations. We will set up the trap cages with bait in them based on what the trap cameras capture.”
According to P M Kurulkar, director of R&DE (E), “Since the animal was seen, we have increased the security procedures. At night, our patrolling staff actively searches every nook and crevice of the campus, we have a trial ground, empty spaces, and forests beyond this unit. Our group surmised that the leopard may have visited locations with a lot of trees, bushes, and greenery. On campus, we’ve increased security overall.’’
