The leopard was first spotted late Thursday night by local residents who heard rumbling noises in the well. In a rescue operation that lasted over two hours, an approximately four-year-old male leopard was rescued by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department from a 35-feet-deep well in Narayanwadi at Junnar in Pune district last week. The leopard was kept under observation for a few days and later released back into the wild.
The leopard was first spotted late at night by local residents who heard rumbling noises coming from the well. Upon inspection, they were shocked to find a leopard struggling to get out of the deep well. The residents immediately contacted the Forest Department. Wildlife SOS, operating out of Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center, was also called in for reinforcements.
In order to ensure that the leopard did not drown, a team of village rescuers trained by Wildlife SOS and the Forest department collectively lowered a metallic plank into the well. Relieved to find a dry surface, the distressed leopard instinctively climbed onto the plank.
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Later, the four-member rescue team from Wildlife SOS, along with the Forest department, lowered a trap cage down the well to extricate the leopard.
The animal leaped onto the cage, which was then subsequently pulled up by the rescuers and transported to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center for medical observation. After a few days under observation, the leopard was safely released back into the wild.
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