Following the Leopard Trail

Situated between Powai Lake, Vihar Lake, and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), IIT Bombay has long coexisted with the wildlife that inhabits the surrounding forest. Among the many species that occasionally enter the campus, none attracts as much attention and concern as the leopard.

Over the last month, the campus has witnessed a noticeable rise in leopard intrusions. While videos of leopards have increasingly circulated across social media platforms such as X and Reddit, the trend is reflected in official records as well. The Institute authorities have sent multiple emails regarding these since February 2025, with two confirmed sightings last year and four sightings in only the first half of 2026, pointing towards a clear increase in reported leopard activity on campus.

According to the Public Health Office (PHO), at least five individual leopards have been recorded moving through different parts of the campus over the past few months. Among the most widely circulated incidents was one in which a leopard was seen dragging away a stray dog near the Staff Hostel. The incident, along with repeated sightings near the lakeside, Hostel 4, the Ananta Building, and other parts of the campus, marks one of the first officially reported instances in recent years of leopard activity occurring in such close proximity to student residential spaces. This recent increase in sightings has raised concerns about the reasons behind the heightened leopard activity and the steps being taken to ensure the safety of the campus community.

Incidents involving wildlife on campus fall under the purview of the Associate Dean, Infrastructure, Planning and Support (IPS), and the Public Health Office (PHO), according to institute officials. Despite multiple attempts, Insight was unable to obtain a response from the Associate Dean, IPS, before this report was published.

The PHO believes that most likely entry points for leopards into the campus are the Udayagiri hillside, the Research Park, and the Sameer Hill region. While these areas have been identified as probable points of entry, the exact routes the animals take remain unknown.

When asked whether strengthening the campus perimeter would restrict leopard movement, PHO officials noted that fencing alone would offer limited protection.

“Even if fenced, one cannot prevent leopards from climbing them, especially when they can use trees to bypass them.”

The Sameer Hill region has long presented challenges beyond wildlife movement. In Insight’s earlier investigation, “What’s Next for Campus Security?”, the area was identified as a recurring site of perimeter fence breaches, with the CSO acknowledging that maintaining continuous surveillance along the entire campus boundary would be operationally infeasible. PHO officials have now also identified the same region as one of the most likely entry points for leopards into the campus.

Identifying how leopards enter the campus, however, is only half the story. An equally important question is how they move across the campus, often without being detected.
According to PHO officials, the campus’s drainage network serves as one of the primary routes used by leopards to navigate the campus. The newer drainage channels are larger, making them easier for the animals to traverse, and ultimately connect to Powai Lake.

The lakeside region, being lush, unlit, and usually deserted, has consequently emerged as a hotspot for leopard activity. As a precautionary measure following the recent sightings, the road stretch from behind the Jal Vihar Guest House to Hostel 21 is currently closed between 7 PM and 6 AM.

Covered drains, in particular, provide an ideal route for leopards to move unnoticed, as they are dark, undisturbed, and connect the hillside to Powai Lake. PHO noted that this could also explain last year’s leopard sighting near the SBI branch, which is located close to one of these drainage channels.
Addressing the recent increase in leopard sightings, PHO officials said one primary factor may be the growing population of stray dogs on campus. According to them, dogs constitute a significant part of the leopard’s prey on campus, alongside smaller animals such as cats, a pattern reflected in the recent incident near the staff residential area. Coupled with easy access to prey, vegetative cover, and water sources around Powai Lake, the campus and its immediate surroundings offer favourable conditions for leopard movement.

Officials further noted that stray dogs are entering the campus through many of the same access points used by leopards. As a result, these entry points not only facilitate leopard movement into the campus but also contribute to the conditions that continue to draw them in.

While the institute has taken several measures to improve campus safety, its role is limited to coordination. As an institution under the Ministry of Education, IIT Bombay does not have the legal authority to capture or relocate leopards. This responsibility rests with the Forest Department.

Forest officers from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Thane are leading efforts to capture the leopards. Multiple cages and traps are being laid out. Cameras with a detection range of up to 500 m and real-time leopard detection capabilities are also being installed, automatically sending alerts to SGNP authorities. The institute is also coordinating with multiple NGOs to conduct awareness sessions on safety during leopard encounters.

Along with these efforts, the institute has urged residents to take precautions seriously:

• Avoid travelling alone at night, especially along the known leopard routes near the lakeside and the drainage channels; having a companion helps alert the leopard to your presence and reduces chances of accidental encounters.
• Do not throw stones or flash a light on the animal. Avoid using the camera flash or taking pictures or selfies. This can provoke the animal.
• Avoid the path of the leopard if sighted and let it go away. When moving away from the leopard, face the animal and move slowly. Do not run and draw the animal’s attention.
• Leopards attack mainly at smaller targets; do not bend down. This may draw the attention of the animal, and it may assume you are smaller prey.

While the next leopard sighting may come to us as another blurry CCTV clip, another late-night advisory, or another viral video, each incident raises the same question: are the current security measures enough to ensure residents’ safety now, especially when invasions have crept into the residential areas themselves?

There is no concrete way to permanently keep a wild animal out of a habitat that has been shaped like its own. However, what we can control now is how we choose to move through the campus. Even simple choices like respecting a restricted route or giving the animal space become part of how the campus community coexists with its wild neighbours.