Forest teams continue to track panthers who entered Smriti Van park

Jaipur: Around three panthers, spotted entering the Smriti Van Bio-diversity Park over a week ago, continue to elude the forest officials who have been left scouring the entire area for them.

Nearly 20 forest department officials are camping in the park to track the panther movement that perhaps have found better prey area in the park than the Jhalana forest.

"Smriti Van has dense population of wild rabbits. It is a protected area and panthers have accommodated well in the park. We have seen movement of two matured panthers and one cub on Saturday night.

"We have put a cage in the park but attempts have remained unsuccessful to trap them," ACF Manphool Bishnoi told PTI

He said that tranquilizing the panthers is the last option.

Meanwhile, the entry to Smriti Van Bio-diversity Park for visitors was banned on March 6 following the panthers took shelter in the park.

On March 5 midnight, the movement of a female panther and a cub on VIP JLN Marg leading to the Jaipur International Airport had created panic among the commuters.

However, amid the headlights of vehicles and the flash of phone cameras, the panthers slipped into the biodiversity park.

Few onlookers had provided the photographs to the forest officials who launched a search to track the panthers.