Leopard rescued from Noida in seven-hour operation

“It’s a seven-eight-year-old male leopard, it’s healthy… It was tranquilised by the Delhi Zoo vet and taken to the Surajpur Nursery after the rescue,” said Saurabh Vashisht, Delhi zoo forest ranger, who was a part of the team that rescued the animal.

The leopard was spotted behind a boundary wall of a lentil field in the village, and thousands showed up to watch the events unfold, claimed Pradhan. He also said a villager, Praveen Pawar (27), was injured by the leopard, after it jumped across the boundary wall.

“A huge crowd had turned up and it could have turned dangerous if the UP police hadn’t managed them. After it was tranquilised, the leopard was picked up using nets and put in a transport cage,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder, Wildlife SOS.

“We received a call at 10 am and immediately informed departments concerned so that teams could be dispatched on time,” said Pramod Srivastava, DFO, Gautam Budh Nagar.

“We don’t know how exactly the animal got here but our assumption is that it travelled across the Hindon river, and was probably chasing an animal when it reached the residential area,” said Lalit Verma, Chief Conservator of Forests, Meerut Zone, who was a part of the rescue team.

The leopard will be released in Shivalik forest in Saharanpur, UP, early Monday. “It has received a fitness certificate. It has no injury marks, and will be released at 4.30 am,” said Verma.