Three-year-old leopard rescued

Pune: A three-year-old male leopard was rescued by Wildlife SOS and the Forest Department on Tuesday morning, after it was found trapped inside a chicken coop near Otur village, in Junnar district. 

The leopard is currently under observation and will soon be released into the wild.

Officials of the Wildlife SOS said that the leopard made its way into a backyard chicken coop near Otur village and got trapped inside the wire coop and had to be rescued. After the leopard was caught in the coop, the locals immediately contacted the Forest Department and Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar. A five-member team led by Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian, Dr Ajay Deshmukh accompanied by a group of 12 forest officers rushed to the aid of the distressed leopard.
 
The team first set up safety nets along the periphery of the house following which Dr Deshmukh carefully sedated the leopard using a dart gun. The entire operation lasted almost two hours after which leopard was taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for observation and veterinary examination.

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS said, “Otur is a leopard-prone area and leopards often wander into human settlements in search of easily available prey such as poultry and livestock.”

Dr Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinarian at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, “The leopard is a male, a little over three years old. We are keeping him under close observation while he recuperates from this stressful experience.”

Speaking about the release of leopard in wild BC Yele, Range Forest Officer - Otur said, “It will be released into the wild once deemed fit by the Wildlife SOS veterinary team.”