SHOPIAN: After a leopard was spotted in a Meminder area of Shopian, a search and rescue operation has been started by wildlife department to track down the wild animal. This is for the second time in two months that a leopard was spotted in human habitation at Shopian.
Mudasir Ahmad, the in-charge wildlife control room at Shopian told Kashmir Reader that based on the information, the rescue operation was initiated amid massive rainfall.
Officials wearing rain coats were seen holding dart guns, telescopes looking for the locations where the possibility of the wild animal was suspected. But the animal could not be spotted, he added, and the operation will continue until the animal is rescued. He asked people to remain vigilant and not to provoke the leopard for early rescue of the animal.
Another wild animal had last month injured at least three civilians in the area. It was found that locals had provoked the animal which led to the attack. In another incident, a leopard was killed by the locals of Oudur village of Shopian after the animal mauled nine sheep to death at a livestock shed. In its neighbouring district at Pulwama, another leopard was killed at Pathan village of Pulwama.

Raashid Hassan