Fear of leopards has gripped Madhya Pradesh's Narmadapuram district so much so that a school in Itarshi has declared a 10-day closure and moved classes online. As per details, the decision was taken after repeated leopard sightings in the area. The alarm was raised when a female leopard and her cubs were spotted roaming near the Power Grid premises in Pathrota -- close to the Satpura Tiger Reserve. Tension deepened after one cub died of electrocution. Forest officials have set up cages and are patrolling day and night but fear still looms large among residents and students.
From 3 days to 10 days closure
Initially, the school management had announced a three-day closure. However, the shutdown had to be extended until September 13 as the leopard remained untrapped. Adding to the fear, another leopard has been moving around the Itarsi Ordnance Factory campus for the past five days leaving fresh footprints every day. With children's safety at risk, parents and villagers remain on edge in the region.
Locals guard homes with sticks
The panic has grown so severe that residents are now standing guard near their homes with sticks, fearing the leopard may return while searching for its cub. Meanwhile, the animal has been hunting poultry for the past three days in Dhansai village of the Tawa buffer range. In response, the Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) authorities have set up two more cages to catch it.
Leopard already trapped before
Notably, this is not the first time leopards have entered residential zones in Narmadapuram. A week ago, CCTV cameras captured a leopard crossing a road in Pandari village near the Ordnance Factory. Earlier, on August 22, another leopard that had created panic in seven villages, including Hiranchapra, Khakharapura and Saheli, was caught in a cage at Khakharapura. It was the third time the same leopard was trapped. However, after being released back into the wild, it again returned to human settlements.
Why are leopards entering villages?
Experts believe the increasing encroachment of forests, water bodies and land by humans is forcing wild animals like leopards to move towards villages and towns. The challenge now is not just to safely capture and relocate the leopard back to the forest, but also to restore a sense of security among the villagers.
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