Leopard rescued from Palwal by wildlife team released into the Aravallis

A wildlife officer and a doctor was rushed to the spot where the leopard was sighted

A three-and-half-year-old male leopard, captured by a wildlife department team from Dungarpur village at Haryana’s Palwal district, was released into the Aravalli forest on Tuesday.

The leopard was spotted prowling a farm land by some villagers on Monday evening while they were on their way back from a nearby forest. (HT PHOTO)

The capture and release came a fortnight after another big cat, which strayed into Maruti’s manufacturing plant in Manesar, was released into the wild.

The leopard was spotted prowling a farm land by some villagers on Monday evening while they were on their way back from a nearby forest.

As the area where the leopard was sighted is close to the village, which is home to a sizeable population, panic gripped residents. They immediately informed the local forest guard, who then sent word to the wildlife department around 9pm.

A team comprising a wildlife officer and doctor was sent to the spot, roughly 40 km away from Gurgaon.

“It took us more than two hours to tranquillise the leopard. It had ventured into the fields that are close to the Aravallis. Most of the villages which have been at the centre of the man-animal conflict of late are in the foothills of the Aravallis,” Vinod Kumar, conservator of wildlife, south Haryana, said.

“The exact location and the time of the leopard’s release cannot be disclosed, as it might pose a threat to the animal’s safety. The leopard was released on Tuesday and no one was hurt in the rescue operation,” Kumar said.

Read I Gurgaon: Leopard attacks two in 5-hour drama, watch video

The wildlife department tracked the rescue operation closely, as on November 24, last year, a leopard was beaten to death by villagers after it strayed into Mandawar village in Gurgaon. As many as 12 people were injured in the melee. The two-and-half-year-old male leopard was bludgeoned to death allegedly in the presence of police and forest officials.

Wildlife officials said the operation was challenging, as the leopard became aggressive as the villagers tried to scare it away. “Fearing an untoward incident, the local police and forest officers rushed to the spot,” Sunil Kumar, wildlife inspector who was part of the rescue operation, said.

The eight-year-old male leopard was caught in the CCTV camera prowling the premises of the Maruti plant on October 5. It was rescued on October 6, 36 hours since being sighted.