Leopard Eludes Search In South Delhi's Sainik Farms: Paw Prints Found At Wildlife Sanctuary

Forest and police authorities announced on Sunday that they have not yet located the leopard that was spotted multiple times in the Sainik Farms area of south Delhi since Friday night. However, fresh paw prints of a leopard were observed at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday, indicating the possibility that the animal may have returned to the sanctuary, as per officials.

The leopard's rare appearance in the residential zone was initially reported through three separate videos recorded on Friday night. The state forest and wildlife department, along with the Delhi Police, have employed drones in an attempt to locate the animal, last seen on Saturday afternoon. The search operation is scheduled to continue for another 48 hours, according to officials.

While there is speculation that the leopard might have returned to the southern Ridge, teams will remain deployed in the area. If the leopard is not sighted again within the next 48 hours, the search will be called off, mentioned Mandeep Mittal, deputy conservator of forests (South).

A study conducted last year by the forest department and the Bombay Natural History Society identified at least eight leopards in the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary. Additionally, two cubs were captured on camera earlier this year.

Locals in Sainik Farms first spotted the leopard on Friday night, prompting the forest department and Delhi Police to investigate the area. Despite spotting the leopard twice, it eluded the teams and went into hiding. Subsequently, the forest department set up two bait cages to attract and capture the animal.

On Sunday morning, over 50 officials from the forest department and police used drones to scan the area again, with loudspeaker announcements advising people to stay indoors. Faiyaz Khudsar, the scientist in charge of the DDA's biodiversity parks program, suggested that if the sanctuary has numerous leopards, it's natural for one or two to wander outside. He added that leopards tend to expand their home range in winters and might return to the sanctuary after sensing danger in human settlements.

In other news, Delhi's air quality remained very poor on Monday morning, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recording 307 at 9 am. Despite a slight improvement due to drizzle on Sunday, the 24-hour average AQI was 314 at 4 pm. The city experienced its third most polluted November since 2015, with an AQI of 372 between November 1 and 29. Dense fog was expected on Tuesday, with a minimum temperature of 11°C.