Darjeeling: Sachin, the adult leopard from Bengali Safari Park in Siliguri, still remains elusive despite various combing operations. Trap cameras and drones will also be pressed into service to add more muscle to the search from Thursday.
A close watch is being kept by the Park authorities on Sourav, the other male leopard.
Despite the combing operations using two trained elephants of the Safari Park, along with wildlife squads from different forest divisions, Sachin has not yet been traced.
Wildlife squads from Darjeeling, Baikanthapur, Gorumara and Malbazar conducted search throughout the night. Additional forces have been called in from Kurseong and Baikathapur.
"We will be using seven trap cameras and also use drones to look for Sachin from Thursday. Two trained elephants are also being brought in from Jaldapara to assist the search," stated Ashim Chaki, Assistant Director of the Park. Four leopards used to roam around a 20-hectare enclosure in the Park. The enclosure has 12 feet tall electric fencing. In order to make the fencing higher, tin sheets have been used on top of the electric fences.
During the routine check at around 8 am in the morning on Tuesday, the safari authorities found a leopard missing. Closer scrutiny revealed that Sachin was missing. Some employees of the Safari Park claim Sachin had climbed a tree and from the highest branch of the tree had leaped across the fence. They had then alerted the authorities.
On Tuesday afternoon, personnel of the forest department found clues suggesting Sachin was hiding in the adjacent herbivore enclosure. "Sachin could be hiding in the herbivore enclosure. He had been sighted atop a tree near the rhino enclosure," stated VK Yadav, member Secretary West Bengal Zoo Authority. Around 15 cages have been set up inside the 91-hectare herbivore enclosure.
However, animal pug marks, with high chances of those marks being a leopard's, outside the boundary of Safari Park adjacent to the forest, raised the alarm on Wednesday.
The Safari remained open on Thursday. "We allowed combined safari by vehicle, Elephant safari and leopard safari remained closed," stated Chaki. There were a large number of visitors on Thursday also. Meanwhile Sourav, the other male leopard is being closely watched. He has been shifted from the open space of the enclosure to the night shelter.
In June 2018, two male leopards were brought to the Safari. The duo had been caught from Satali Tea Estate in Alipurduar and were kept at Leopard rescue Centre in South Khayerbari in Jalpaiguri. The Park, a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was inaugurated in 2016.
It is spread over an area of 200-hectare.