Madhya Pradesh: Stray leopard trapped, released in wild

Barwani (Madhya Pradesh): A forest team finally managed to capture stray leopard from a banana field on the outskirts of Piplood village in Barwani district on Monday night, said divisional forest officer (DFO) SL Bhargava.

Bhargava said that MP Gajendra Singh Patel had filed a complaint stating that a leopard was roaming in farmer Jagdish Yadav’s banana farm in Piplood village for the last five to six days. Following this, a forest department team visited the area and collected evidence of big cat’s presence.

On Monday at 5 pm, they placed a trap in farmer's field and placed a goat inside it to lure the leopard. After installing the cage, people were also advised to remain alert. They also warned nearby villagers not to roam around the farm and its surroundings. The forest department team was also deployed around the farm.

Meanwhile, the team came to know that, around 11.30 pm the leopard had entered the cage. DFO Bhargava said that he too reached the spot along with the team.

The leopard was later handed over to the forest department team of Barwani forest division. After health check-up, that declared leopard as healthy, the feline was released in the forest following instructions of senior officials.