Leopard rescued from Palwal after five-day op

The wild animal was released into the Aravalli forest on Thursday after a medical check-up by a team of veterinary doctors from the wildlife department ascertained that the animal was fit and well.

GURUGRAM: In a challenging operation that lasted five days, wildlife department officials rescued a five-year-old male leopard on Wednesday night from Hodal area in Palwal. Officials said a team was deployed on September 10 to capture the big cat, after receiving distress calls from villagers who spotted the leopard.

It first appeared that the leopard sensed the trap, but after five hours, it entered the cage on smelling a goat tethered inside. (HT)

The leopard was released into the Aravalli forest on Thursday after a medical check-up by a team of veterinary doctors from the wildlife department ascertained that the animal was fit and well.

Rajesh Chahal, a wildlife inspector in Gurugram, who was part of the rescue team, said the leopard was first spotted on September 8 by Bhulwana villagers in Hodal, some 89km from Gurugram. “The villagers had spotted it near a temple in a 40-acre forest area in Hodal. They shared videos of the leopard on social media and reported that cattle left out for grazing in the forests were missing.This was the first time a big cat was spotted in the area,” he said.

Chahal said the villagers informed the subdivisional magistrate about the sighting on September 9, following which villagers were restricted from visiting the temple alone and once it was dark.

“A team of six officials, including a doctor, was sent to the forest area on September 10. We had kept tranquillizers ready in case of an emergency. Two trapping cages were laid for the leopard, and the animal was trapped around 11.30pm Wednesday,” Chahal said. “It took five hours to lure the big cat into the cage -- it kept moving around the cage but did not enter. It appeared as if the leopard sensed the trap but after five hours of waiting, it entered the cage on smelling the goat tethered inside.”

Rajendra Prasad Dangi, divisional wildlife officer, said, “There are nearly 4,500 families in the village and their safety and security were our prime concern. Since the villagers were afraid to move about even during the day, and since they cannot afford to sit at home leaving their fieldwork, we planned to place cages.”

The Aravalli forest is around 20km from the drain from where the leopard was captured, said officials.