Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad remains on edge after the leopard sighting at Serendeep Mansions in Shela earlier on Monday, with a fresh wave of rumours spreading across the city, prompting repeated clarifications from the forest dept.The leopard, captured on CCTV on Monday, triggered concerns among residents of Shela, Ghuma and Bopal. However, what began as a genuine wildlife sighting has now snowballed into widespread panic, fuelled by old videos, morphed visuals, and unverified social media posts claiming leopard sightings from various parts of the city.The latest rumour surfaced on Wednesday morning from Green City Society in Ghuma, adjacent to the locality where the original sighting was reported. A video showing an animal emerging from beneath a parked car went viral on WhatsApp, with many claiming it was a leopard cub. Some residents also said barking dogs had alerted people to the animal’s presence, while others claimed morning walkers had spotted a leopard.The forest dept immediately dispatched a team to the society to verify the claims. After inspecting the site, examining the footage and checking the paw marks, officials concluded that the animal seen in the video was a domestic cat and not a leopard.“Based on the evidence examined at the site, it appeared to be a cat and not a leopard cub,” the chief conservator of forests (social forestry), Ahmedabad, K Ramesh, said. Another cat was seen emerging from beneath a nearby vehicle during the inspection, further confirming that the viral claims were baseless, the official said.The Green City incident is the latest in a series of rumours that have circulated since Monday’s confirmed sighting. Soon after the animal’s sighting at Shela, photographs claiming to show a leopard crossing a road in the Chandkheda-Zundal area spread rapidly on social media. Forest officials later established that the visuals were not from Ahmedabad, and searches in the area yielded no evidence of leopard movement.On Wednesday, another video showing a leopard trapped inside a house was widely shared with claims that it was filmed at Madhav Homes in eastern Ahmedabad. Officials later confirmed that the footage was actually from Maharashtra and had no connection with the city.Ahmedabad Social Forestry Division said the continued circulation of old videos and misleading messages has forced officials to repeatedly verify false alarms, diverting manpower from the actual search operation in Shela.After the leopard sighting in Shela, forest officials launched an extensive search operation led by Minal Jani, deputy conservator of forests, Ahmedabad. More than 20 forest guards and foresters, along with veterinarians and rescue personnel, have been deployed in the area. Cages have been installed, and intensive reconnaissance is being carried out in surrounding farms and open plots.The dept also conducted thermal drone surveillance around Shela and Ghuma. During the exercise, the drone detected a nilgai but no leopard.Officials said no fresh signs, including pugmarks or direct sightings, had been found since the initial CCTV footage. “Leopards are shy animals that are generally active during dusk and night. Humans are not their natural prey. There is no need to panic, but citizens should remain vigilant,” the dept said.
