PANIC IN REFINERY AREA OVER ENTRY OF LEOPARD

 

 

Mathura November 25, 2014

 

Villagers in the neighbourhood of Mathura refinery and the residents of the township are panic-stricken over reports of sighting a leopard or a tiger. While villagers in the Makhdoom area close to Farah said they were sure they had seen pugmarks of a wild beast, officials of the refinery scoffed the rumours saying there was no proof.

 

Ram Bhajan, a villager recalled "three years ago a tiger from Rajasthan had moved in the area and created panic for a number of days. Initially everyone said there was no proof but later it was confirmed it was Mohan, a tiger from the Ranthambore wild life sanctuary."

A wild beast whose identity is still to be ascertained entered Mathura Refinery complex late Sunday evening causing panic and fears in the township. Alarmed residents sought the help of CISF personnel and the Forest guards who combed the entire area but could not confirm till Monday evening whether the suspected creature was indeed a leopard or a tiger who could have lost his way from a Rajasthan wild life sanctuary. Even the foresnsic team could not confirm they had seen pugmarks or any other trace.

 

The four hour operation search that included the local police, the CISF personnel, the Forest department guards and the refinery's own security service, carried out on Monday  yielded no results. Security inspector SPL Meena told media persons that no  trace of a wild animal had been found. SO Refinery Mahesh Chandra also confirmed there was no proof of any wild animal entering the premises. 

 

But by evening the villages around the refinery were agog with wild rumours of a beast on the rampage. They recalled how a tiger from Ranthambore in Rajasthan had lost its way and entered the area three years ago and had attacked some locals. The Forest department later confirmed it was Mohan the tiger who probably got hurt and lost its way through Bharatpur, while looking for a kill. After a few weeks Mohan was spotted back in the tiger reserve.

 

In the first week of October, 2010, Mohan eluded wild life trackers from three states and sneaked into Mathura district.   Forest officials from UP, Rajasthan, the Ranthambore National Park, Dehradun's Wild Life Institute and Wild Life SOS had camped on Agra-Mathura border to trap the tiger which had strayed away from its natural habitat. Usually the wild cats move around 15 to 20 km in the night looking for a kill. From Mathura Bharatpur bird sanctuary is hardly 25 km, said villager Netra Pal and there are several hiding points in that area. Shahzadpur is the tri-junction of Bharatpur, Agra and Mathura districts.

 

Normally wild cats stray away from their territory due to injuries or destruction of the natural habitat forcing them to move to fringe areas bordering human settlements or shrinkage of prey based territory. Since the big cats are territorial animals, if they move out there has to be a reason, say wild life experts. Says environmentalist Shravan Kumar Singh "big cats straying from their familiar areas is a danger signal, a fallout of man-animal conflict. Since foliage and the population of smaller animals like deer is on the decline, the balance has been disturbed in the area."

 

Though the wild beast has not yet been sighted, it would be a little premature to say the danger is over, warn villagers of the area. "These dark, winter nights, there was need for being extra careful as wild animals in search of food could be on the prowl," feel the villagers of Sadiqpur, Bamauli, Bhainsa. A large number of villagers go out for work and return late in the evening on bicycles.