Ahmedabad: On Wednesday, in a lane behind Karnavati Club, a dog walked past a cafe and turned into a leopard on social media. As the rumour spread, panic gripped the residents in the area, and the forest department was alerted. A team of officials examined the animal footprints and confirmed they belonged to a dog, not a big cat.This was the third false alarm since a leopard was spotted at Serendeep Mansions in Shela earlier this month, prompting heightened vigilance and unverified reports of sightings. After Wednesday’s social media buzz, the forest department team conducted a thorough search and reviewed CCTV footage from nearby establishments.“We received the information and immediately dispatched a team. After a detailed inspection of the area and the pugmarks, it was concluded that there was no leopard. However, the vigil continues,” said deputy conservator of forests Minal Jani. A senior forest official in Gandhinagar said no cages would be installed in the area, as doing so without a confirmed sighting could create unnecessary panic.Action, including trapping measures, will be taken only if a leopard sighting is confirmed, the official added. The latest scare follows a similar incident in Chandkheda, where a cafe owner circulated a photograph claiming that a leopard had been spotted in the area.An investigation found no evidence to support the claim. Officials said several misleading posts, including old videos and unrelated images, had been circulating on social media. Meanwhile, the search operation at Serendeep Mansions in Shela has been called off after thermal camera surveys detected only a nilgai and found no trace of the leopard.
