Maha: Leopard spotted near Ellora Caves; forest personnel deployed at site

Forest officials have been deployed near the World Heritage site of Ellora Caves in Maharashtra's Aurangabad after a video of a leopard roaming the hills in the vicinity went viral on social media on Thursday, an official said.

A video claiming that a tiger was spotted on the hills near the caves went viral on social media, following which the forest department verified that it was actually a leopard, range forest officer of Khultabad range Annasaheb Peharkar said.

"The place where the leopard was spotted is close to Ellora Caves. It was revealed that the leopard had moved towards the government guesthouse complex located uphill, from where a route goes to the caves complex," the official said.

As a precaution, forest personnel have been deployed in the area and people are being discouraged from using the route, he said, adding that camera traps will also be installed near the guesthouse.