A leopard was spotted at Brindavan Gardens forcing the authorities to order its closure while a giant crocodile was sighted in a stormwater drain in the heart of Mysuru, on Saturday.  

The leopard was found sauntering along the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) dam when a few workers tending to the adjoining Brindavan Gardens spotted it.

In the blink of an eye the leopard sprang to the nearby steps of the Visvesvaraya Canal and entered the gardens where it camouflaged itself in the vegetation before making a dash and raced behind the Royal Orchids Metropole Hotel.

An official in the KRS said the Forest Department was immediately alerted and senior officers reached the spot and combed the area. But since there was no sighting of the leopard’s movement, they have decided to place a cage with a bait hoping that the leopard will be trapped.

Though Brindavan Gardens receives thousands of visitors on a daily basis, the rush is higher during weekends and holidays, especially in the evenings. But the leopard was spotted at around noon and there were only a handful of tourists. However, in their own interest and safety the dam authorities asked them to leave the place immediately while the ticket counters were closed making the KRS and the Brindavan Gardens out of bound for tourists for the rest of the day.

The official said they did not want to take risk with so many tourists and children around and hence closed the gardens. ‘’A decision to reopen the gardens will be taken only on Sunday provided there were indications of leopard movement outside the park’’, the official added. So there is uncertainty whether the Brindavan Gardens will be open to the public on Sunday.

Incidentally, this is the second time that a leopard has been spotted at the KRS since the last few months. A case was placed earlier to trap it but the leopard proved elusive.