While leopard sightings continued at the Forest Research Institute campus, the State Forest department has also placed a cage in the Tapkeshwar area after a leopard entered a residential compound and killed a house cat. It will be recalled that after a girl died in a leopard attack in the FRI campus, hunters authorised by the Department had shot dead a pregnant leopardess on March 16. A few days later, on March 20, a male leopard was caught in a cage placed by the department in the campus. This big cat was released by the department in the forests of Badkot range. Since then a leopard has been sighted in the campus about three times without any attack being reported on any person or domesticated animal in the campus.
The FRI administration has imposed prohibition of walkers in the campus before sunrise and after sunset. Apart from this, the institute administration is also monitoring the area and keeping the department informed, said Dehradun sub divisional officer Gulveer Singh. Regarding a cage being placed by the department after a leopard reportedly killed a house cat, he informed that the department keeps on shifting the cages as and when required in areas from where leopards sightings are reported close to human settlements.