Male leopard walks close to Godavari river islands to prey on deer, Black Bucks in Andhra Pradesh

Sighted first on September 6, the Leopard moved out of reserve forest to enter into Kadiyam flower nurseries; drones were deployed to trace its movements in the nurseries

KADIYAM (EAST GODAVARI)

A lone male Indian Leopard has entered the Kadiyam flower nurseries after completing its 18-day sojourn within the Diwancheruvu West Reserve Forest abutting Rajamahendravaram City. It was first sighted through a CCTV surveillance camera, near the All-India Radio station on September 6. 

On the night of September 14, the leopard had entered the flower nurseries at Kadiyapu Lanka, the heart of the nurseries nestled between river Godavari and its islands. 

East Godavari In-Charge District Forest Officer S. Bharani told The Hindu; “We have identified the pug marks of the male leopard in the flower nurseries on September 24. We could trace the pug marks in the nurseries given the black soil used to raise the plants”.

“The leopard has moved out of the Diwancheru Reserve Forest only to walk close to the islands of river Godavari which are home to deers and Black Bucks. Given the route that was prowled by the leopard, we can ascertain that it had come out to prey on the Deers and Black Bucks in the islands”, stated Ms. Bharani. Ms. Bharani is leading the forest officials team deployed to trace and trap the leopard. The leopard also crossed the ONGC administrative campus to enter into the Kadiyam nurseries. 

Drones deployed

The Wildlife authorities have decided to deploy drones to track the movements of the leopard that could be sighted easily as the density of the flower nurseries is less compared to the tree cover in the reserve forest. 

“The growth of the flower nurseries will support to operate drones to trace the movements of the leopard. We have decided to deploy the drones to trace the leopard before it moves to the nearby islands”, DFO Ms. Bharani told The Hindu. 

On the other hand, the flower nurseries are also located along the stretch of the National Highway which will be a threat for the wildlife if it moves towards the Highway. Meanwhile, the flower nurseries have voluntarily suspended their daily activities to avoid any untoward incidents. The workers, mostly women, work on the nurseries during the day.

Published - September 25, 2024 01:06 pm IST