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Along Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border: Leopard that injured six in 8 hours captured after 15-hour rescue operation
A leopard terrorizing villages along the UP-Bihar border was captured after injuring six people in a 15-hour rescue operation involving multiple agencies.
A leopard that had terrorised several villages along the Uttar Pradesh-Bihar border was finally captured late on Friday night following a 15-hour joint rescue operation involving police personnel, wildlife experts and forest department officials.
The leopard, which had reportedly been roaming the region for nearly four months, injured six people within eight hours on Friday, triggering panic among villagers in parts of Kushinagar district and Bihar’s West Champaran region.
“The injured villagers received immediate medical assistance. The situation is now fully under control and surveillance in nearby villages has been intensified,” an official said, adding that the leopard had been attacking and injuring villagers in border areas over the past few months, leaving residents living in constant fear.
Superintendent of police, Kushinagar, Keshav Kumar said the leopard had strayed into Maghi Kotilva village under the Jatahan Bazar police station area late Thursday night and attacked villagers at multiple locations while moving through nearby settlements.
The situation became more tense on Friday morning when the leopard again ventured close to populated areas, prompting authorities to deploy a specialised rescue team from Gorakhpur Zoo equipped with tranquiliser guns and safety gear.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Vikas Yadav said the leopard had entered residential areas and sugarcane fields in search of shelter. Villagers alerted authorities after the animal allegedly attacked several people while moving through different settlements. The animal was finally tranquilised and rescued after intensive tracking and coordinated efforts by multiple agencies.
“A joint operation involving the forest department, police and a specialised rescue team was launched immediately after information about the leopard’s movement was received,” Yadav said, adding that Uttar Pradesh forest department also sought assistance from the Bihar forest department as the leopard repeatedly changed locations and hid inside dense vegetation, culverts and abandoned structures along the UP-Bihar border, making the rescue operation difficult.
“After continuous tracking and coordinated efforts by all teams, the leopard was safely tranquilised and rescued without any harm to the animal or local residents,” Yadav added.
According to officials, the leopard was eventually found hiding inside a culvert near a border village, where experts managed to dart the animal after securing the area. The rescued leopard was later shifted to a secure enclosure for medical examination and observation.
Meanwhile, police officials said the situation turned chaotic during the tranquilisation exercise when some anti-social elements allegedly started pelting stones and misbehaving with police personnel during the rescue operation.
“Mild force had to be used to disperse the crowd and ensure public safety,” an official said.
Officials added that constable Sushil Singh suffered injuries during the commotion, while station house officer (SHO) Abhinav Mishra and four other policemen sustained minor injuries.
