Problem leopard, suspect behind 5 attacks, trapped

After 54 days of efforts by wildlife experts, volunteers and the Thane forest department, Aarey's most wanted leopard, suspected to be behind four attacks and a death — all involving children — was finally trapped in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

The three-year-old 'problem' leopard, which was escaping trap cages for over two months, was trapped in Filmcity, Goregaon. Incidentally, the trap cage was set up at the site on September 13 after a team of researchers managed to spot and follow the leopard for the first time on September 12.

Wildlife Warden, Mumbai Suburbs Mayur Kamath said, "While we were patrolling the area in our vehicle, this leopard crossed our path. Even as we began following it, the big cat remained unflustered. To our luck, we were able to confirm that it was the same leopard suspected behind all the attacks based on the camera trap images," said Kamath.

Dr Jitendra Ramgaokar, Deputy Conservator of Forest, Thane forest said that the big cat has been shifted to Sanjay Gandhi National Park. "After a thorough medical check-up and discussions with experts, we will decide whether it should be released or kept captive," he said.