RAJKOT: A leopard was seen at night-time near the perimeter of Hirasar airport, situated off Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway. The sighting was captured on a video, which was subsequently circulated on social media platforms.
About four months ago, a fox had been sighted, and porcupine droppings were found within the airport grounds. The airport is a few kilometres off the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway. The leopard was seen near the airport's boundary wall.
The forest department said a vidi (reserved grassland) and a reserved forest exist near the new airport and wild animal movements are frequent.
Nikunj Parmar, deputy conservator of forests, Surendrangar, said, "We were informed about leopard movements on Wednesday afternoon. We deputed a team to scan the area and prepare for a capture operation if required. The team scanned the area on Wednesday night, but we did not find leopard pugmarks. We are prepared for a capture operation if required."
Forest department sources said the site of the Hirasar greenfield airport used to be a natural wildlife habitat, with regular leopard activity. Stray dogs around the airport provide a prey base.
Forest officials had earlier cautioned airport authorities about wildlife movement risks. They also recommended installing grilles on rainwater dispersal openings to prevent wildlife from entering the airport grounds.
Sources in the airport said that when a fox was earlier seen on the premises, the cage trap set by the forest department caught a dog instead. Porcupine droppings and footprints were also found on the airport grounds.
The new airport is 30km from Rajkot and began operations in Sept 2023. It covers 1,045 hectares.
#Gujarat | Leopard spotted near #Rajkot international airport
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) April 4, 2025
Details here 🔗 https://t.co/5f9wUJRoGx pic.twitter.com/3JauFa1u34
About four months ago, a fox had been sighted, and porcupine droppings were found within the airport grounds. The airport is a few kilometres off the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway. The leopard was seen near the airport's boundary wall.
The forest department said a vidi (reserved grassland) and a reserved forest exist near the new airport and wild animal movements are frequent.
Nikunj Parmar, deputy conservator of forests, Surendrangar, said, "We were informed about leopard movements on Wednesday afternoon. We deputed a team to scan the area and prepare for a capture operation if required. The team scanned the area on Wednesday night, but we did not find leopard pugmarks. We are prepared for a capture operation if required."
Forest department sources said the site of the Hirasar greenfield airport used to be a natural wildlife habitat, with regular leopard activity. Stray dogs around the airport provide a prey base.
Forest officials had earlier cautioned airport authorities about wildlife movement risks. They also recommended installing grilles on rainwater dispersal openings to prevent wildlife from entering the airport grounds.
Sources in the airport said that when a fox was earlier seen on the premises, the cage trap set by the forest department caught a dog instead. Porcupine droppings and footprints were also found on the airport grounds.
The new airport is 30km from Rajkot and began operations in Sept 2023. It covers 1,045 hectares.
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