A leopard has given birth to three cubs at a private house belonging to Lalit Jung Thapa in Sirutar-8, Aanantalingeshwor Municipality. Thapa had abandoned the house after it was damaged by the earthquakes last year.

According to Thapa, the leopard gave birth to those cubs five days ago. “Although the mother does not stay there the whole day, it keeps returning to feed the cubs,” said Thapa, 62.

“The incident has unleashed terror in the locality,” said Pradip Karki, whose house is 100 metres from Thapa’s.

Locals said the mother leopard is sighted almost every day, mostly in the evenings. “We are staying indoors for the fear of being attacked,” said Karki.

After the incident was reported to police and officials at the Bhaktapur District Forest Office (DFO), they contacted the Central Zoo in Kathmandu on Friday.

Radha Krishna Gharti, a senior veterinary technician at the Central Zoo, told the Post that the leopard will not keep her cubs there for long. “This, however, is an amazing incident,” said Gharti. “But the mother would take her cubs somewhere else soon, as animals of cat species do not keep their cubs in one place for long.”

DFO officials said they would do the needful to protect the cubs.

Leopard sighting has become a common incident in the Valley of late. In January, a male leopard had attacked a 69-year-old woman in Kirtipiur and in June a big cat had entered a private house compound in Kuleshwor. Last year, a leopard was spotted in New Baneshwor.

Habitat fragmentation due to expansion of human settlements near forest areas compounded with depletion of prey species in the wild habitats due to wildfires and other causes have been forcing these big cats to come out of their habitats in search of food.