Leopard rescued from pipeline in Ghaziabad’s Modinagar
The rescue operation was conducted without the need for tranquillising the leopard, as it was trapped in a cage set up at the site, officials said
The divisional forest department officials on Sunday rescued an adult leopard from Chudiyala in Modinagar town of Ghaziabad, who was hiding in a drainage pipeline in the area. The officials said that they released the animal in Saharanpur forest range.
The rescue operation was conducted without the need for tranquillising the leopard, as it was trapped in a cage set up at the site, officials said.
According to officials associated with the operation, villagers in Chudiyala first spotted the leopard and promptly informed the forest department around 4pm. A few days earlier, locals had also reported a leopard sighting in the area, but the presence of the animal could not be confirmed despite the deployment of search teams, officials added.
“On Sunday, the leopard was discovered inside a 50-metre-long drainage pipeline, with a diametre above one metre, where it had been moving around for several hours. Our teams quickly arrived and positioned a cage on one side of the pipeline, securing the other opening to prevent the animal’s escape. With great effort over the course of a couple of hours, our teams lured the leopard towards the cage by tapping the upper portion of the cemented pipeline with sticks,” said Manish Singh, the divisional forest officer (DFO).
“It will now be transported to the Saharanpur forest range for its safe release. However, it is uncertain whether this leopard is the same one reported by locals three days earlier.” the DFO added.
Chudiyala is home to the department’s reserved forest area in Modinagar, while other reserved forest areas can be found in locations such as Ahmed Nagar Baghpat, Mohammed Ahmed Baghpat, Atrauli Khurd, Farid Nagar, and Talheta. The district’s reserved forests cover a total area of 607.74 hectares in the Modinagar range and 43.3 hectares in the Ghaziabad range.
This Sunday’s rescue marked the third major leopard sighting in Ghaziabad district in 2023. The first incident took place on January 17 when an adult leopard was killed on the Delhi Meerut Expressway near Bhojpur, presumably after being struck by a speeding vehicle. An FIR was filed against the unidentified driver. On February 8, another fully grown leopard attacked and injured ten individuals at the Ghaziabad district court before being tranquilized and captured. The animal was subsequently released in the forest range of Saharanpur the following day.
The DFO said that the 2022 animal census in Ghaziabad incorrectly listed the presence of nine leopards. “Leopards do not have a natural habitat in Ghaziabad and the correct figures would be rectified in the upcoming census. Additionally, an explanation was sought from a staff member responsible for presenting incorrect figures. Although there have been numerous instances of leopard sightings reported by residents recently, only two leopards have been officially confirmed prior to the current incident,” DFO said.
