For a city recognized as a tourist destination for all stations, Mysuru is also the gateway to the famous tigers reserves and the sanctuaries of elephants such as Bandipur and Nagarahole, both or that are at a short distance by car.
While the city is no stranger to wildlife, which is part of the identity of the region, Mysuru was at the center of attention in recent times due to the high frequency of leopard places in its industrial and residential locations.
It is not that leopards have suddenly arrived at Mysuru, for a long time they have been part of the landscape of the region. But with the non -controlled and horizontal urbanization of the city, disguised as its natural habitats, the encounters between leopards and residents agree. This is calling attention to the ‘presence’ of the great stained cats but, in fact, they have always existed.
The forest department spent almost a month looking for a leopard that was sighted on the Infosys campus in Mysuru in January 2025, but evaded the capture and cooled them a slip. | Photo credit: special arrangement
Two recent cases
In recent months, two high -profile industrial facilities in MySuru suffered a “security violation.” A leopard got into the 350 Acres campus of Infosys forcing the company to work from home.
The forest department toured the campus for almost a month, deployed its staff in a 24×7 basic to monitor the site, installed camera traps and verified the fresh pugs brands, but only to attract a blank space after which the search operation was dissolved.
In a matter of weeks, another leopard slid in the forest that surrounded the unit of printing notes of the Bank of the Reserve of India. However, the leopard was not as lucky as his counterpart in information, and after a few weeks of persistent effort, the forest department managed to make fun of the great stained cat and capture it a lot for the relief of employees.
The sighting of Leopardo and its capture of the industrial areas in Mysuru and its surroundings are not new, and multiple incidents have been informed, or capture of leopard, only from the Beml campus. In November 2022, a leopard slipped in Gardens, a popular tourist destination, and forced the authorities to close the garden for the public for a prolonged period.
In addition, it has been reported in the presence of wildlife in industrial areas such as metagalli, Bhotagalli, Belawadi, Kadakola, etc. They were developed in industrial designs only in recent decades. And contrary to the prevailing narrative, it is not that leopards deviate in towns or cities, but that it is human intrusion in their territory that has been the increase in sightings and the increased conflict.
Multiple leopard incidents have been informed that are captured on the Beml campus in Mysuru over the years. | Photo credit: Sriram Ma
Matorral Jungle
Even today, scrubbing forests and agricultural fields extend to Miles at the end beyond the factory groups. He thought that the habitat has eroded over the years, the leopards have adapted to the changing environment and, through compliance with the officials of the forest department.
Mysuru is about 80 km from Bandipur and Nagarahole, but the boundaries of the forest are linked by sections of jungle of bushes, which in turn connect to agricultural lands with mosaic fields or sugarcane, suddenly fallow and wild patches. This continuity of the landscape provides crucial connectivity for the movement and the dispersion of the leopard.
Within the city, Chamundi Hills, designated as a reserve forest, along with its surrounding areas, also serves as a green pocket within urban expansion, offering coverage, leclosse and step for wildlife everything that has been a unique environment that wherereans whereas where. In addition, Chamundi Hills Itelf, surrounded by a landscape marked by agricultural fields and desert patches that connect with reserve forests, including Arabhititu, which facilitates the free circulation of leopards.
A leopard in the conflict situation trapped near Mysuru and moved. | Photo credit: Sriram Ma
Role or CCTV cameras
While the proliferation of CCTV surveillance cameras and social networks have played a role in the high leopard detection rate and the dissemination of news, the reality is that great stained cats have long lived throughout humans.
The experts and biologists of wildlife have emphasized that, unlike tigers, leopards are the most adaptable of large cats, since they can survive not only in dense forests but also in agricultural fields, farms and semi -urban areas. And from the perspective of the leopard, MySuru marks all the right boxes, since it provides the perfect combination of conditions required to prosper.
That the population of Leopardo is significant in the landscape around Mysuru is evident in the statistics from the Forest Department. According to Dr. Ib Prabhugoud, an attached curator of forests and head of Leopardo, almost 150 leopards have been captured and translocated from Mysuru and the surrounding regions in two years.
Leopardo’s task force was established in January 2023, since in the previous months, four people died in leopard attacks only in T. Narsipura Taluk. And it was always established, the LTF has attended almost 2500 complaints related to the sighting of Leopardo, although most of them could not be described as a conflict.
He thought that the LTF manages cases in MySuru, Mandya, districts of Chamarajanagar, 150 leopards that were captured until the end of March 2025, 122 or they were captured in the Mysuru district. Of these, 48 were from Mysuru Taluk, who underlines how the landscape was suitable for leopards to survive and live cable cheek in a landscape dominated by humans.
But for wildlife as surviving leopards, there should be a population of adequate dams and Dr. Prabhugoud pointed out that cattle is their first preference, as is evident in the number of complaints related to deaths by cattle by leopards. Around the city, the leopards take advantage of stray dogs, apart from the poultry waste that is thrown on the outskirts of the city.
While the increase in the Leopard sighting increases the tension in the local community, the forest department has made efforts to educate the public about the behavior of Leopard and both and the gifts that must be fulfilled, to evade a conflict.
The key is to stop throwing poultry and meat waste on the outskirts of the localities that attract dogs and, in turn, are pressed by the leopards. There is an increase in winter of the duration of leopard sightings, since it is the mating season and, therefore, people who walk in the groups duration and dusk are advised, which is when the leopards are more active.
Farmers have instructed to be in large groups in their fields, the harvest of sugar cane, which is where the leopards tend to leave their puppies behind. Or the mother could be with puppies making him susceptible to be more aggressive when he feels the danger of humans. But in general, leopards tend to move away when they see a crowd and, therefore, people who avoid security in numbers are advised. Maintaining cattle in safe enclosures is another notice to reduce the predation of domestic animals and mitigate the conflict.
The landscape that surrounds MySuru includes agricultural fields and reserve forests where leopards get to live. | Photo credit: Sriram Ma
Proposal on enclosure
While the Forestry Department pursues a “capture and relocation” protocol with respect to leopards in the human landscape, there is also a proposal to create a enclosure or sanctuary to house captured touches in conflict situations.
A 92 acres land plot that is part of the territorial forest in Yelwal, on the outskirts of the city of Mysuru, has an identified bone for this purpose. The installation will have the ability to house 100 leopards and cost ₹ 73 million rupees in the first phase. He thought it may seem like a practical solution, experts claim that leopard accommodation in confined spaces or cages was not the way to follow to correct the problem.
A more realistic approach is to protect the city’s desert through habitat conservation, in addition to strengthening and ensuring wildlife runners through scientific landscape management. This could be reinforced by implementing conflict mitigation strategies, such as the early alert system, the reduction of prey animals in peripheral areas by adopting contraceptive measures of dog animals, garbage management, etc. and NUD Dannan towards his Towns towards his villages attracted to the city’s positions due to the easy availability of prey animals.
Experts believe that such approach offers a living example of coexistence with wildlife. It also represents a sustainable alternative that provides a situation of win-win for both humans and leopards and must be persecuted, instead of locking them in cages.
Published – April 11, 2025 09:00 am ist
