Nuapada, Dec 16: A month after the capture of a leopard linked to two fatal attacks, a new incident has surfaced in Odisha's Nuapada district, raising concerns about wildlife safety inside the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary. Sources report that another big cat has been sighted within the sanctuary.

According to eyewitnesses, a group of youths from Taraboda in Komna block visited the Maa Sunadei temple in Sunabeda for a morning puja on Saturday. On their way back home in the afternoon, they encountered a leopard near the road. In a state of panic, the youths quickly closed the windows of their vehicle and managed to capture a video of the young leopard on their mobile phones.

However, the sudden noise from the vehicle disturbed the leopard, prompting it to flee into the forest. The video, subsequently uploaded on social media, has since gone viral, drawing attention to the presence of the big cat in the sanctuary.

Local residents expressed concerns that the spotted leopard may be a young one, suggesting the possible presence of its mother in the vicinity. In response to the community's apprehensions, they have promptly notified the Forest department about the recent sighting.

This incident follows a tragic event in October, where a leopard reportedly killed a seven-year-old boy in the village of Godhaspara inside the Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary. Subsequently, on November 3, a 45-year-old woman from Silaribahara village, adjacent to the sanctuary, fell victim to a leopard attack.

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