While solar fencing has curtailed movement of elephants in human settlements in Haridwar, the forest department has remained alert especially when it comes to leopards. A video which has recently gone viral on the social media showed two leopards moving about casually in an industrial area in Haridwar.
For the last three months, the movement of leopards and elephants has been reported in Tibri, Ranipur, BHEL and other areas.
Considering this, the department has posted in teams at various locations. Divisional forest officer Akash Verma said that if tigers, leopards or elephants enter populated areas, the first attempt is to capture the wild animal and release it in the forest.
Five teams including the patrol, rapid response team and rescue squad are active in the division. Two teams with tranquilisers are currently posted and two more will be added from Sunday.
He further informed that elephant movement in populated areas has come down considerably after erection of solar fencing. However, the department is maintaining a high level of vigilance when it comes to leopard movements, he added.
