The Forest Department found on trace of the leopard on the third day after its sudden entry in the city on Sunday. DFO Meerut Sushant Sharma while talking to "The Pioneer" said that they have kept a vigil thoroughout the night within the city and in a radius of five kilometer from the complex where it was last spotted. From certain sections of the city there were reports of leopard’s presence but when the forest teams arrived at the spots they found that the reports were misleading. The Forest Official said that in all possibility the leopard had moved out from the drain through which it has possibly entered the city.
DFO Sushant Sharma said that they were reports of pug marks at a farm near the bus stand. " However when we reached there we found that the pug marks of a dog were being taken for the pug marks of the leopard. Simmilarly we received a phone call from the Phutwa village regarding the presence of the leopard but when we reached the village we found there was nothing" said Sharma. However he said that they will continue to keep vigil in the night. The DFO said that they had deployed teams in different parts of the city who were talking to people and making inquiries with over eighty from the staff on duty.
FOREST DEPT COMBS MUZZAFARNAR VIllAGE Over fifty kilometers from Meerut the Forest Department carried out combing operations at the Charpawa vilage where a goat had been suspected to be killed by a leopard. The DFO HV Girish while talking to "The Pioneer" said that eating pattern suggested that the killing has been made by a dog or a leopard. "With no evidences of a leopard we feel that the kill has been made by a big dog. We have carried out combing operations and found no leopard. There is no panic in the area" said the official.
On being asked if the same leopard that had created a havoc in Meerut had also killed the goat in Muzzafarnagar, the DFO said that it was not the case because the killing had taken place the sane day and the distance between Meerut and the village was around fifty kilomteres.