Leopard enters Haridwar ashram, rescued by forest dept team

A sub-adult leopard Wednesday entered Ganga Bhakti ashram premises in Khadkhadi area of Haridwar creating panic among the pilgrims and those staying at the ashram and pilgrims in panic.

A Hindu seer and a worker at the ashram locked the door of a room, where leopard had entered, trapping it.

On being informed, a forest department team alsong with one each from Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the police department reached the ashram and tranquilized the big cat before rescuing it in a two-hour long operation.

“The leopard, aged one year, is in good health. A detailed medical examination was conducted at animal rescue health center in Chidiyapur. The leopard may have got separated from its group and wandered out of the Rajaii Tiger Reserve before reaching the residential Khadkhadi area. We will release it in wild,” said Dr Aditi Sharma, veterinarian at Rajaji.

Divisional forest officer, Haridwar forest range, Akash Verma said that owing to residential habitat encroaching on to forest terrain, several such instances have come to light in recent past in Khadkhadi area. He said additional monitoring was being done to avoid man-animal conflict.