14 May,2011 06:29 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Forest officials insert microchip in body of leopard that rattled Karanj Village; movement of big cat to be monitored even after its release in wild
AFTER the man-animal histrionics in Karanj Village in Uran, the forest department is keen not to let the havoc-maker out of its sight.
The leopard that injured five persons including forest officials in Karanj village in Uran on Wednesday.
The authorities, yesterday, inserted an electronic chip in the body of the leopard, which they said would help keep tabs on the cat's movements even after it is released in the wild.
The leopard on Wednesday injured five persons including forest officials and sent hordes of others scurrying pell-mell in Karanj.
The big cat is now cooling its heels at an undisclosed location in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).u00a0
"The leopard was brought to the national park on Wednesday.
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A villager who was attacked by the wild cat
Today, we fixed an electronic chip in its body, so that its movements can be traced even after it is released in the jungle," said Vinaya Jangale, a veterinary doctor at SGNP, who played a key role in trapping the wild cat in Uran.
Cat hostile
The officials at the SGNP are now keeping a close eye on the big cat, which they said was all horns and rattles after the ordeal.
"We are taking proper care of the animal and it has been kept under observation. Its every movement is being closely monitored.
After the ordeal in Karanj, the leopard has become belligerent. Whenever we try to get close, it gets aggressive and even tries to pounce on us," said an official, who did not want to be named.
A forest official, who saw the entire incident in Karanj, said the onlookers had unnecessarily provoked the leopard.
"The leopard did not knowingly assault the people.u00a0 It attacked them as they unsettled it by making unnecessary noises."
On Wednesday, a team from SGNP comprising forest officials and a veterninary doctor had to dash off to the village, as the local forest officials in Uran were unable to trap the big cat.
"It is good that the SGNP authorities have kept the leopard under observation and is taking proper care of it.
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It should be released in the same natural habitat near Uran as soon as possible," said Krishna Tiwary from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
The officials are yet to take a decision about when to release the leopard.
Electronic chip
It is a small rice grain-sized chip embedded at the point where the animal's tail is attached to the body. The chips are uniquely numbered and can be read like a barcode in the supermarket. The technology helps keep track of animal movements and is already in use in Maharashtra.
