Jaipur, March 17 : A leopard entered the premises of Jaipur College on Monday, triggering panic among students, staff and others, and efforts were on to locate and capture the big cat, officials said.

The leopard entered the Birla Institute College in Jhalana and upon receiving the information, police and Forest Department officials rushed to the scene. Additional teams have been called in to assist with the rescue operation. However, the leopard has not been spotted for a long time. According to forest officials, a team is present on-site, ready to tranquilise the leopard if necessary.

A thorough search operation is underway, but there has been no sighting of the animal for the past hour. Authorities suspect that the leopard may be hiding somewhere within the college premises or may have returned to the forest through another route.

Due to the proximity of Jhalana and Amagarh Leopard Reserves, the sighting of leopards is common in Jaipur. On December 7, a leopard roamed Vidyadhar Nagar for nearly four hours, causing panic. Leopards have also been sighted in Manbagh (Jaisinghpura Khor), Ashiana Greenwood Society (Jagatpura), Delhi Road, Jamwaramgarh, Malviya Nagar, and Jhalana.

During these incidents, leopards have attacked livestock and other wild animals. Tragically, a child was also killed in the Jamwaramgarh area.

Jaipur's leopard population has been steadily rising. Currently, around 75 leopards inhabit the Jhalana, Amagarh, and Nahargarh Safari areas. Jhalana alone hosts approximately 45 leopards, while Amagarh has over 20. Notably, Jaipur is the first city in India to have two leopard safaris, a lion safari, a tiger safari, and an elephant safari.

Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation at Birla Institute College, and rescue efforts are ongoing.

/IANS