A panther has been on the prowl on the sprawling ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics) campus in Patancheru for the last one week.
First spotted by security guards in the wee hours of February 4, the feline had its existence confirmed by forest officials on Monday.
“The animal, suspected to be panther, was first spotted last Monday by security guards, and the matter was immediately conveyed to the district forest officials. They have been since on the job of ascertaining its identity,” said Jayashree Balasubramanian, Head, Communications of ICRISAT.
The only option
Security guards were asked by the Forest officials to take pictures of the animal when they spot it again. Accordingly, they have taken its photos on their mobile phones and presented them to the forest officials.
“We have a very hazy image of the animal, but could confirm that it, indeed, was a panther. We are shifting cages and camera traps to the location, as trapping is the only option. After observing its movements for a few days, we will attempt its capture,” said an official of the Forest department.
Strayed
The cat could have strayed from the forests of Shankarpally or Vikarabad, or crossed the Outer Ring Road to enter the campus from the Narsapur forest, he surmised. Two cages and 10 camera traps have been shifted to ICRISAT so far. An advisory would be issued to ICRISAT about the dos and don’ts with the presence of a panther on the campus, the official said.
