Forest dept intensifies search for leopard at Pune airport premises

Pune: Forest officials intensified their search operation at Pune International Airport premises on the second day on Wednesday to capture an elusive leopard sighted in the area.

Officials have set up cages after the feline was captured on one of the camera traps on Tuesday, confirming its presence in the area.

“We have intensified the search operation and set up additional cages and camera traps at the airport premises,” said an official.

Forest officials clarified that flight operations were not affected.

In a separate incident, panic gripped the Daund area of Pune district after a woman claimed that her 11-month-old son, Anvit Bhise, was taken by a leopard while they were sleeping on a farm early Wednesday morning. The family resides in a small village nearby.

A large-scale search was launched throughout the day by forest department teams and Wildlife SOS volunteers. However, no evidence—such as pug marks or other signs of leopard presence—was found during the operation.

“We will carry out the operation on Thursday and asked the police to file a missing complaint in this regard,” said a forest official.