Leopard creates panic on Manipal University campus

Leopard creates panic on Manipal University campus
Apr 10, 2014, 07.09 AM IST

UDUPI: A leopard that entered Manipal University campus was trapped on Wednesday . The big cat had apparently sneaked into the city on Tuesday night .

Security guards said they had spotted it near the campus . The guards informed forest department officials around 9am on Wednesday .

Forest department personnel trapped the animal with a net at 1pm when it entered a house near the university building . It was trapped without a tranquilizer and not hurt , officials said . The spotting of the big cat created panic among students and employees of the university .

Assistant conservators of forest , Kundapur sub-division , Satish Babu Rai and Sheena Kottary , who led the operation , said the leopard will be released into the Kudremukh National Park . A large number of students and staff gathered around the leopard and took pictures .

Little do people realise that by crowding around a leopard, they are actually increasing the stress levels of the leopard. There is a need to conduct awareness sessions in these areas so that people don't panic when they see a leopard or any other wild animal.