Leopard Rescued From Small Chawl in Maharashtra, India

A leopard startled residents when he made himself at home inside of a chawl, or a slum settlement, in a Chakan town in the Pune district of Maharashtra. After a two-hour-long operation by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife SOS, the leopard was rescued from the narrow passage.

Source: Wildlife SOS

Residents of a chawl settlement in the town of Chakan alerted the Forest Department of the leopard early morning and the team, along with Wildlife SOS, rushed to the location to assess. The teams brought safety nets, a trap cage, and protective gear.

A Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor immobilized the leopard from a safe location so that he could be rescued. Now, the big cat is under medical observation at Wildlife SOS.

Amol Satpute, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer for Junnar Division, said that they suspect the leopard was hit by a vehicle and was trying to find a place to rest.

“This is a densely populated area so the leopard sighting caused a wave of panic among the residents. To avoid any untoward incident, we first managed the crowd and after assessing the surroundings, the looped was carefully tranquillised. The rescue operation was carried out swiftly and efficiently by the team.”

Mahendra Dhore, Project Manager, Wildlife SOS said, “The leopard was sitting inside a narrow passageway so the panicked residents locked themselves indoors. After getting a closer look, we confirmed that it was a male leopard, estimated to be 6 years old. The leopard is under temporary observation.”

To learn more about Wildlife SOS and their work, check out their website.

NOTE: Do not try to help wildlife of any sort unless you are trained. Find a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help! 

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