Leopard, injured by unidentified vehicle near Mumbai, attacks rescue team

The animal injured six volunteers while it was being taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivli

A five-year-old male leopard was injured in its right leg after being knocked down by an unidentified vehicle at Talasai in Palghar district, near the Maharashtra-Gujarat border early on Monday.

The 5-year-old male leopard suffered an injury on its right leg. (Representational photo)

The leopard, which was being taken to the Sanjay Gandhi National park (SGNP) in Borivli, attacked six members of the rescue team, which comprised forest department officials and volunteers from the Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare Association (WCAWA), Dahanu. Officials and volunteers were treated at a local government hospital and discharged.

Nanasaheb Ladkat, deputy conservator of forest (DCF), Dahanu, said that the leopard may have strayed on to the highway in search of prey. “The animal was initially going to be taken to the WCAWA hospital in Dahanu, but owing to the serious nature of its injuries, we decided to bring it to SGNP,” he said.

In February 2017, a six-year-old male leopard, believed to have strayed from Tungareshwar Bird Sanctuary in Vasai, was run over by a speeding vehicle near Sativali on the same national highway.