Pune: Leopard sighted in college campus in Lohegaon, search underway

A leopard was spotted on the RITP College campus in Wadgaon Shinde, near Lohegaon, on Sunday evening and early Monday morning.

Following the incident, the Forest Department, Fire Department, and the RESQ Charitable Trust conducted a joint search. Efforts are underway to capture and relocate the leopard while also ensuring the safety of inhabitants in the area.

In light of the spotting, the college administration declared a holiday on Monday as a precaution. Meanwhile, the sighting caused concern among citizens and college students, with locals urging immediate action from the forest authority to capture the leopard.

The KE Society’s Rajarambapu Institute of Technology Polytechnic (RITP) College in Wadgaon Shinde is adjacent to the forest region, and a few locals informed authorities after seeing the animal on the college campus.

Nilesh Mahajan, public relations officer (PRO), Fire Department, stated, “On Monday morning, our team spotted the leopard moving through the dense vegetation on the college grounds.” After spotting the leopard on Sunday evening, the school quickly announced a student holiday on Monday to help avert any mishaps. The team is working on the ground and will catch the animal soon.”

Raj Varak, range forest officer for the Lohegaon area, stated, “The forest team, fire officer, and members of the RESQ organization are present on the ground and are continually monitoring the leopard movement. As of today, the leopard has moved into the forest region, which serves as a crossing route for it.”

The area has a history of leopard sightings. Previously, a leopard that had fallen into the well was retrieved from this location. The deep woodland patch in this area provides a safe corridor for wildlife movement. Varak noted that they occasionally come outside in search of food because the stray dog population is higher in this area, and they also come outside by accident.