Forest officials wary after suspected leopard sighting in Panvel

Forest department officials have stepped up patrolling in and around Wakadi village in Panvel near Navi Mumbai after a watchman claimed to have spotted two leopards in the area last Sunday. Officials have advised residents in the area to avoid staying outdoors if not essential, especially at night.

In September, two residents from Nere village in Panvel had claimed to have seen a leopard in their locality.

Dnyaneshwar Sonavne, range forest officer of Panvel region, said, “The watchman, who works at a farmhouse, informed us that he spotted two leopards roaming outside the farmhouse on Sunday night. We are now searching for the animals in the nearby forests. The leopards were not spotted by CCTV cameras in that area. But we have stepped up patrolling and asked local residents to be careful.”

According to Sonavne, around two years ago, CCTV cameras at an industrial site in Taloja MIDC - which is around 8km from Panvel - had captured footage of a leopard entering the compound. Forest officials searched for the animal for the next one week, but couldn’t trace it.

“We know that there are leopards in the hills of Matheran, and sometimes they come to the cities. But we haven’t spotted leopards in Panvel’s forests over the past several years,” Sonavne said.