Leopard rescue: Residents of Chakan town in the Pune district of Maharashtra were sent into a frenzy by a leopard that made itself at home inside a chawl (slum settlement). The big cat was found sitting in a narrow passage and was rescued in a 2-hour-long operation by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife SOS.
On Tuesday morning, residents of a chawl settlement next to the Pune-Nashik highway in the town of Chakan woke up to the news of a leopard in their neighbourhood.
The incident was immediately reported to the Forest Department and a team of forest officers rushed to the location at 6 am. The Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar was also called to assist in the rescue operation. The teams were equipped with safety nets, a trap cage, and protective gear.
The forest officers and local police implemented crowd control measures while the Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor immobilised the leopard from a safe distance. The animal is currently under the medical observation of Wildlife SOS.
Amol Satpute, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer for Junnar Division, said, “We suspect that the leopard was hit by a vehicle and was trying to find a spot to rest. This is a densely populated area so the leopard sighting caused a wave of panic among the residents. To avoid any untoward incident, we first managed the crowd and after assessing the surroundings, the looped was carefully tranquillised. The rescue operation was carried out swiftly and efficiently by the team.”
Mahendra Dhore, Project Manager, Wildlife SOS said, “The leopard was sitting inside a narrow passageway so the panicked residents locked themselves indoors. After getting a closer look, we confirmed that it was a male leopard, estimated to be 6 years old. The leopard is under temporary observation.”
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