Leopoard sighting on Hubballi outskirts, public warned

In the wake of reports of leopard sightings near Hubballi Airport and Gamanagatti Industrial Estate on the outskirts of Hubballi, the officials have a warned the public against venturing out in the area alone after sunset.

Vasantha Reddy K.V., Chief Conservator of Forest; Vivek Kawari, Deputy Conservator of Forest; Parimala V.H., Assistant Conservator of Forest; R.S. Uppar, Range Forest Officer; Rupesh Kumar, director of Hubballi Airport, and CISF staff visited the airport and areas around Gamanagatti indsutrial estate on Wednesday.

The officials have informed that a cage had already been kept in the airport surroundings to trap the leopard, and camera traps had been installed.

The patrolling by the frontline staff of the Forest Department has been intensified, and the general public and airport staff have been warned against venturing out alone between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The officials have said that it had come to their notice that garbage was being dumped in the Gamanagatti industrial estate, and a leopard was likely to visit the area to prey on stray dogs that frequent the dumping places. They have appealed to the general public not to throw away the garbage in the locality, and the airport officials have also been asked to take up the issue with the municipal authorities.