Leopard with missing front paw rescued from 15 ft-deep water tank in Panchkula

The Haryana wildlife department rescued the leopard and shifted it to Pipli Zoo in Kurukshetra. (Representational)

RESIDENTS OF Tikri, a small hamlet, situated on the outskirts of Morni village woke up Thursday morning to the alarm calls of monkeys and later found a leopard with a missing front paw trapped inside a 15-foot deep empty water tank.
The agitated cries of the feline triggered panic and curiosity among local residents.

The Haryana wildlife department rescued the leopard and shifted it to Pipli Zoo in Kurukshetra. A probe has been initiated to ascertain how the paw was cut off.

“Veterinary doctors will submit a report on the nature of injuries and possible reasons behind the missing paw. It was not a fresh injury because there was no bleeding. The findings will be shared shortly,” said Alok Verma, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (wildlife), Haryana.

The rescue operation lasted around four hours as at least three tranquiliser darts needed to make the big cat unconscious were futile.

Divisional Wildlife Officer (DWFO) Shiv Kumar Rawat said, “When our team failed to dart the animal, local ASI Maan Singh managed to do so. Later, our team members pulled it out of the tank. It was a fully grown male leopard. We have decided to keep it at Pipli Zoo in Kurukshetra because it is not capable of surviving in the wild with a missing paw.”

“We have been hearing the growls of leopard for the past fortnight. It was coming here regularly. Several street dogs of our village had also gone missing. We noticed it inside the water tank around 7.30am,” said Devwanti, a local woman of Tikri village.

DWO transferred to Rohtak

In a surprising development, DWO Shiv Kumar Rawat was transferred to Rohtak range with immediate effect Thursday afternoon. His senior, Sham Sundar Shamra, was given the charge of DWO, Panchkula.
The transfer orders were issued from the office of Additional Chief Secretary, Haryana, Alok Nigam. Shiv Kumar said, “I do not know the reasons behind my transfer. I received the orders this afternoon when I reached the forest department head office in Sector 6 after the rescue.”