Bhubaneswar: After extensive searches, the Forest Department ascertained presence of a wild cat near the airport in Bhubaneswar in the early hours of Sunday.
This came a day after a woman, working at the nearby dump yard, claimed to have spotted a leopard, creating panic among people in the state capital.
According to sources, forest officials had set up a cage with bait (chicken) to capture the wild animal. “We patrolled the area throughout the night and only found the movement of a wild cat, which was captured on a trap camera,” said Range Officer Radhakant Hota.
Initially pugmarks similar to those of jackals were on Saturday but the tracks were blurred by rain, making them difficult to identify conclusively. Four trap cameras were later brought from Nandankanan Zoological Park and installed near the Airport dumping yard to capture the animal.
Airport director Prasanna Pradhan confirmed that the animal, which looks like a wild cat, was not in the operational area. ” The forest personnel are on the job to catch it for safety purposes,” he added.
In 2019, a leopard was caught from the Bhubaneswar airport premises and later released in the nearby Chandaka forest. In June and July 2014, two jackals were found trapped in the cage up by the airport authority. In September 2013, a wild jackal was found in the operational areas. In November 2012, a wild cat was found trapped in the cage.
