Leopard in Jagatpura colony sparks fear among residents

Jaipur: A leopard wandered from Jhalana Forest Reserve and entered a residential complex in Jagatpura causing concern among residents on Thursday. The animal was first seen at the Jagatpura shooting range and later entered a nearby building early morning.Rajiv Singh, president of Ashiana Greenwood Resident Welfare Association, said, "The movement of the leopard was spotted around 15 days ago in the shooting range premises. On Thursday, around 5.10am, residents of the society spotted it inside the campus, following which forest officials were informed. Since it has started entering residential premises, we will have to increase the wall height to prevent it from coming in."Gaurav Khatri, a resident who frequently goes for morning walks in the shooting range area with his family, expressed concerns. "I go there with my wife and daughter every morning. Children are more at risk because there is a possibility it might attack if they accidentally venture close to the bushes and it is present there."Divisional forest officer Jagdish Sharma said, "Teams were immediately sent to the location and the area was thoroughly searched. The leopard moved back inside the forest."The big cat population in Jhalana Forest Reserve is higher than its carrying capacity. Ideally, one male leopard requires at least a 5 sq km area but around 40 leopards currently occupy the 20 sq km urban jungle. The department is considering developing surrounding forest areas, including Galta, to accommodate the growing population.Experts cautioned that the growing leopard population is becoming challenging to manage as the forest area has reached its capacity. A retired forest official said, "The density of leopards is too high for an urban jungle. With new cubs regularly born, sub-adults are pushed out. In search of territory, these wild cats venture out, increasing the possibility of man-animal conflict."