Leopard scare at Miyapur metro station, officials launch late night search

Hyderabad: Forest department officials, assisted by police, began an urgent search for a leopard that was briefly spotted near Miyapur metro station on Friday evening, even as residents of nearby areas were urged to exercise caution.

The leopard’s presence came to light after a short video clip showing the animal walking along a bushy patch early at night went viral. Although there was initially some doubt about the location, an on-site inspection by forest officials confirmed that the background shown in the video clip was consistent with the area near the station. “From the looks of the animal in the clip, it is a leopard,” said a senior forest official.

The station is next to the Metro Rail depot, which has some open bush areas. It is believed that the leopard retreated into the depot after briefly appearing in the open. Inquiries with Metro Rail officials revealed that they too came to know about the presence of the animal in the area around 10:00 pm and no warnings were issued to commuters at the station until around 10:30 pm.

The last train arrives at Miyapur station at 11:23 p.m. Metro Rail officials also said that no immediate alert was issued to the staff at Miyapur depot.

Forest department officials said their personnel from Chilkur area along with police officials were sent to the spot to search for the animal. A senior forest official said it was likely that the leopard had come near the metro station from some nearby bush areas, but the department officials were searching for pug tracks in the field.

One of the search team officials confirmed the location seen in the video clip near Miyapur railway station.

The search for the animal continued until late at night. This is not the first incident of a leopard straying into the city. Several such incidents have been reported in recent years. A ministry official said leopards are adept at living in simple scrub forests in peri-urban areas. With a lot of development and construction going on in and around the city, it is not surprising that leopards are spotted from time to time as they may be contemplating where to go next, the official added.

April 2024: Leopard spotted at RGI airport in Shamshabad. A month later, in May, he was caught by Forest Department officials.

Dec. 2022: Leopard invades Hetero Group’s drug manufacturing facility and is caught in the forest on the same day.

February 2019: Leopard spotted at Icrisat campus in Patancheru. Taken three months later, in June. Another leopard that entered Icrisat in 2014 was safely captured.

May 2000: Leopard seen resting on the road in Mailardevpally near Kattedan Bridge. Leopard was caught at Walamtari campus, 20 km away, in October the same year. It was believed to be the leopard seen in Mailardevpally.

Dec. 2024: A leopard strayed into 71 Jubilee Hills Road. It fell from a height of 30 feet, was stunned and captured. It succumbed to its injuries at the Nehru Zoological Park