Female panther, cub seen on Jaipur roads

AMID THE FLASHING HEADLIGHTS OF VEHICLES AND CAMERA , THE PAIR SLIPPED INTO THE SMRITI VAN BIODIVERSITY PARK

The movement of a female panther and a cub on the city’s JLN Marg that leads to the international airport took many commuters by shock on Monday.

While some scared commuters froze on the scene, there were others who dared to bring out their mobile phones to capture the moment.

The panthers were seen crossing the JLN Marg around midnight. However, amid the flashing headlights of vehicles and camera, the pair slipped into the Smriti Van Bio-diversity Park.

Some commuters have provided the photographs of the panthers to the forest officials who then launched a search to track the two.

“Based on the pug marks and photographs provided to us, we have sent rescue teams to the Smriti Van Bio-diversity Park. A medical team has also been sent to take care of emergency situa- tions. If needed, we will tranquilize the two panthers and release them in the forest,” DFO Sonal Johrihar said.

The state has seen a spate of panther attacks in the recent times. A female panther was captured by the forest department in Kunthwa village of Rajsamand district on Sunday, following complaints of attacks by local villagers.

In December last year, a panther cub had made its way to the staff quarters of the University of Rajasthan here, triggering a scare among the staff and students. The panther had sneaked into university campus from adjoining Jhalana Forest. PTI