Berhampur (Odisha), March 22 Panic gripped villagers in the Patrapur block of Odisha's Ganjam district after a video of a suspected leopard sitting on a nearby hill went viral on social media.
However, forest officials said they found no footprints or received any reports of livestock being taken by the big cat in the area when they conducted an inquiry on Sunday.
Camera traps have been set up to identify the animal the villagers were talking about.
A group of children reportedly saw the animal sitting on the hilltop near the Sunakhala village, while they were playing in the area on Saturday afternoon. They made a video of it, which went viral on social media, the officials said.
"After receiving the information, our team rushed to the spot to conduct an inquiry," said Sunny Khokhar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Berhampur.
"During the inquiry, they did not find any leopard footprints in the area. There was also no complaint of livestock being taken," he said.
Despite this, the forest department maintained a strict watch in the area and alerted villagers not to harass the animal if it was found again, he said.
Forest officials said they have installed two camera traps in the area to identify the wild animal and its movement. More camera traps are planned to be installed there.
"We have urged the villagers not to panic and to be vigilant about the movement of the animal. If they notice the big cat or any other wild animal, they should immediately inform the forest department," said Manoj Kumar Patra, Forest Range Officer, Samantiapalli.
Forest officials have also advised the villagers not to spread rumors without verifying the facts about the presence of wild animals.