Himachal Pradesh: Forest Dept inspects Bahli village in Dharamshala after reports of leopard attacks

Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 1 (ANI): In the wake of reported leopard attacks, a Forest Department team visited the Bahli village in Dharamshala town, Kangra district.
Speaking to ANI, Forest Range officer Sumit Sharma said that the information that two cows were attacked by leopards turned out to be false and was just a rumour. He said that the forest department officials advised the villagers to be alert and always go outside in groups.
"The information that two cows were attacked by leopards turned out to be false. It was just a rumour. It's a very sensitive matter, and people are scared, so we are here to meet the villagers as well, and we are telling them how to coordinate in such circumstances," he told ANI.
The Forest Range officer also said that a man had an encounter with the leopard while he was on the way to the market.
"A man was going to the market on his bike when his headlight fell on the leopard. The big cat tried to come towards the biker, but he sped up and escaped from the scene," said the official.
"The situation is not that dangerous, and if needed, we will try to track the movement of these leopards by using trap cameras, or we may set up trap cages. In CCTV videos, we saw the movement of two leopards. We have advised the villagers to be alert and always go outside in groups," said the Forest Range officer.
Earlier in the day, the Rampur Forest Department of Uttar Pradesh successfully rescued a leopard in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district on Sunday.
Uttar Pradesh Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Rajiv Kumar, said that the big cat was spotted near the area around the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, causing panic among the locals.
"There is a doctor's panel available here for a medical examination of the animal. This is the sixth leopard that has been caught in Rampur," added the official.
Meanwhile, in UP's Bahraich, officials said on Sunday that they have detected the presence of two killer wolves through drones and will capture them soon. 8 deaths have been reported and 15 injuries have been reported to alleged wolf attacks in the region. Police and forest officials have so far captured four wolves.
Abhishek Singh, CO Forest, Bahraich Division, told ANI, "Our whole team is going to be here under the guidance of DFO. We detected the presence of wolves through drones. Both wolves have been traced in this area. We will capture them."
Earlier on Saturday, the forest department team laid traps at Sisayya Chudaamani village, from where the fourth wolf was captured.
In the wake of recent wolf attack incidents, the forest department is bursting firecrackers at night to protect the villagers from wolves. (ANI)