Kandhamal: Panic gripped the inhabitants of Badagaon village under the Baliguda sub-division in Odisha’s Kandhamal district since Monday as reports of a leopard roaming free in the area spread like wildfire.
According to reports, the leopard was spotted by a pump house employee near the Badagaon pump house on Monday night when he had gone near the river to operate the pump. He claimed to have heard unusual sounds and when he turned on the torchlight of his mobile phone he saw a leopard lurking nearby.
Scared on seeing a leopard from such close quarters, the pump house fled the place and informed his superiors. On their part, his superiors alerted the Baliguda Forest Department about the incident.
Soon a team from the Forest Department arrived at the pump house and launched an investigation. The Forest Department has also issued a warning directing people not to go near the river alone at night. The villagers have also been asked to identify whether the animal is a leopard or hyena if they happened to see it.
A two-member Forest Department team led by Forester In-Charge Satya Narayan Mohanty investigating the incident has raised doubts after detecting the footprints of the animal. They are yet to ascertain whether the animal is a leopard or a hyena.
