11-year-old leopard rescued 26 days after being sighted in Hisar

The big cat was seen at 7.05 pm on Wednesday by some members of the rescue team, who were perched on a machan (makeshift shelter on a tree).

An adult male leopard, weighing 75 kilograms, was rescued on Wednesday night from the outskirts of the Deer Park in Hisar, 180 km from Gurugram. It was tranquilised by officials of the Haryana wildlife department, 26 days after it was spotted. It will released into its habitat in the Aravallis on Thursday, officials said.

The leopard is currently under observation at the Hisar park. (HT PHOTO)

The big cat was seen at 7.05 pm on Wednesday by some members of the rescue team, who were perched on a machan (makeshift shelter on a tree). The shelter was set up by the officials to keep watch after word of the big cat’s straying had sent nearby residents into panic. The officials said they monitored the leoppard’s movement and tranquilised it at 8pm.

“It took an hour for the leopard to settle down. Sensing an oppourtunity to nab the big cat, the rescue team tranquilised it,” said Vinod Kumar, the additional principal chief conservator of forests, adding that once the animal recovers, it will be brought to Gurugram.

Dr Ashok Khasa, a veterinary surgeon who works with the wildlife department, said he shot two tranquiliser darts from the machan, while the leopard was on the move. Now, he is under observation,” he said.

“The animal was first sighted on August 26 afterit pounced on a six-month-old black buck at the park. This was the first leopard sighting in the area,” Kumar said.

The officials said a ten-member team conducted a probe and sent pictures of the pugmarks to Wild Life Institute(WII) in Dehradun. The report, received on Monday, confirmed that the pugmarks belonged to a leopard.