Ahmedabad residential neighbourhood ‘freezes’ wild leopard moment in mural

In July, a leopard roamed into a high-end gated society in the Ghuma area of Ahmedabad, causing a stir among the mostly business families residing there. The incident, which lasted for a week, brought the otherwise tranquil neighborhood under the national spotlight. Nearly four months later, the Serendeep Mansions society decided to immortalize the "rare occurrence" through a fiber mural depicting the leopard crawling into the premises.

The mural was installed at the exact spot where surveillance footage captured the big cat around 2 am on July 20, jumping over the boundary wall and crossing lanes within the society. Initially, the forest department deployed teams and thermal drones to rescue the leopard, which vanished after spending only seven minutes inside the upscale neighborhood.

The cat exited the society premises through a vacant plot across the road, where it is believed to have returned to its natural habitat. Gaurang Shah, president of the society's resident welfare association, explained that the mural was created for two reasons: to commemorate the unique incident and to make it a lasting memory for the community, as their society had gained viral fame due to the leopard.

The 105-unit housing society, located on VIP Road in southwest Ahmedabad, spans bungalows ranging from 350 to 1,500 square yards. The mural, designed by professional artist Paneri Shah, is a fiber artwork meant to be both strong and durable outdoors. She noted that while discussions about wall art had been ongoing, the leopard's appearance on the same wall prompted the society to focus on a leopard-themed artwork instead.

Gujarat is home to the second-largest leopard population in the country, with 2,274 recorded in the 2023 census.