Leopard strays into hospital near Jaipur

Jaipur: Panic gripped a private hospital in Chomu near Jaipur today as a leopard was seen loitering in its basement area and was caught on CCTV.

The CCTV footage shows the leopard jumping over empty beds and benches. A rescue team from Jaipur is currently in Chomu to trap the leopard. Crackers are being lit to make the leopard come out.

Some patients and staff in the Rajasthan Nursing in Chomu, 35 km from the state capital, saw the leopard in the basement early morning after which it was confirmed by the CCTV footage.

The footage confirmed that the leopard must have strayed into the hospital premises and was already there for two hours. There is a big empty plot on the backside of the hospital, which is now overgrown because of rains, which might be sheltering the leopard.

Some more CCTV cameras have been installed in various positions to catch the movement of the animal. JCB machines are also uprooting the hedges and greenery to clear the area to trap the leopard. The search is still on.

The patients and people in the area are panicking till the animal is rescued.

Leopard sightings have become common in and around Jaipur.

In January this year, a leopard had strayed into Castle Kanota, a heritage hotel on Agra Road, and was spotted by the tourists when pet dogs in the hotel started barking. The tourists alarmed the hotel staff, who in turn informed the forest and wildlife department.

In 2019, a leopard had entered one of the renowned city schools, Sawai Man Singh Vidyalaya of Jaipur in the heart of the city and was caught on CCTV.

Although the school was closed at that time, the leopard was seen prowling across the kindergarten section. Another such incident was reported from the city's Malviya Nagar area in December 2021.

Wildlife experts say although leopards are reclusive by nature, they are increasingly venturing into human habitations due to loss of their habitat, dwindling prey base and poaching.