Bettiah: A leopard sighting near a residential area on the fringes of Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR) triggered panic in West Champaran’s Valmikinagar on Friday and prompted the forest department to launch a search operation.The animal was spotted behind the residence of former MLA Dhirendra Pratap Singh, alias Rinku Singh, in a locality bordering VTR. After being alerted, a forest department team led by forest guard Ashish Kumar reached the spot and began tracking the animal.Valmikinagar forest range officer Satyam Kumar said the department initially received information about a tiger near Tanki Bazaar. However, based on residents’ accounts and pugmark analysis, officials identified the animal as a leopard. The wild animal was sighted barely 50 to 60 metres from the forest boundary.Forest officials have advised people living along the forest fringe to remain alert and immediately report any wildlife movement. The frequent sighting of wild animals near human settlements in the region has raised concern among local residents.A tiger was seen near Narwal-Barwal village in Bagaha-II block on Tuesday, while a leopard was recently sighted in Piprasi block. Despite attempts to trap it, the animal has continued to move between locations.Human-wildlife conflict has also emerged as a major concern in the area. Four people have been killed in tiger attacks over the past two months, including a woman who died in an attack in Masjidia Sareh area of Madanpur forest range on Wednesday.Wildlife experts attribute the increasing movement of animals towards forest fringes to habitat disturbance and dwindling prey availability, with leopards known to be more adaptable and more likely to venture into human settlements than tigers.
