A leopard has been on the prowl within the premises of ICRISAT, and has been giving sleepless nights to the management of the place. Efforts from forest department officials have proved fruitless till now and the leopard is still lurking within its compounds.

The good news now is that the leopard has devoured a bait that was tied in the open, giving officials the hopes of a tranquilisation. Two veterinary experts have been deployed at the premises of ICRISAT to immobilise the leopard. The bait was put out in the open but it was too dark for the Vets to take a shot at the leopard.

The leopard has been lurking in the campus since February. Some watchmen had spotted it and reported it to the officials. They later took pictures of the leopard to show the officials proof of the creature's existence in the campus and top prove it was a leopard. The leopard is said to be a healthy male.

Officials had set up cages and cameras to trap the leopard after having learnt that it had landed in the campus. They have issued an advisory on the dos and donts of a feline on the prowl.

Four trap cages and 20-25 camera traps are presently set up on the premises. “We are trying all permutations and combinations. We replaced the smaller cages with larger ones, and when that did not work, we bought four specially made cages with plastic screens so that the bait will be visible to the leopard,” informed an official.

Cages worth Rs 1 lakh each have been set up and the cameras are equipped with infrared technology which does not need a flash to see its footage in the dark. However, the big cat has outsmarted them and continues to roam the campus.

Looking at the state of the summer, it is very unlikely that the leopard would leave the campus as it has enough of prey and water for the leopard to feed on. “There are three big lakes inside and plenty of creatures such as peafowl, porcupine and hare. I don’t think the animal will leave voluntarily,” said the official.

There are also impenetrable wooden regions for the animal to take shelter in, and which acts as a shield or a protective cover for the animal in the day.

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