A leopard on a roadside tree in Gothatar of Kathmanu district created panic among locals throughout the day on Tuesday.

A wildlife rescue team from Central Zoo located in Jawalakhel led by Radha Krishna Gharti was informed about the leopard sighting at around 7:30am by police. The team that had reached the site at around 9am worked till 5pm to take the beast under control but without success.

“The leopard clung on to the tree branch the whole day. We expect it to return to its habitat in the night,” said Gharti. “A police team has been asked to guard the area to prevent any untoward incident.”

Locals have also been told not to go close to the site.

This is fourth leopard sighting in Gothatar area in past six-seven years.

In April 2013, a leopard that had strayed into the human settlement in Gothatar was shot dead after it injured 15 people, including three policemen and two forest officials. Leopard sightings on the outskirts of the Valley have been on rise in recent times.

Early this month, a team from the Central Zoo, Kathmandu District Forest Office and security personnel had rescued a female leopard that was reported to be hiding under the stairs on the ground floor of a house belonging to Krishna Maharjan in Panga area.

The leopard was brought to the Central Zoo that is already facing problems to provide a safe refuge to orphaned and rescued wildlife including leopards in lack of space and trained human resources to provide proper care and treatment.

Last year, three similar incidents of leopard straying into human settlements inside the Valley were reported.

Increasing number of sightings of big cats in city areas is an indication that humans are encroaching on wild animal habitats, due to which there is food source loss in balding forests and wild animals are forced to come out of their habitats. Conservationists have long been raising the issue of human encroachment on habitats of wild animals.