Leopard wanders into public park near Pune, rescued

A leopard that had ventured into a public park in a residential area in Nigdi was tranquilised and rescued on Sunday following a coordinated multi agency operation. Forest officials suspect that the six-year-old male leopard could have wandered into the residential area from a nearby region of Durga Tekdi, where the presence of leopards has been reported in the past.

The Pune Forest Department received information about the sighting of a leopard near Sant Kabir Udyan, a public park in Nigdi-Pradhikaran area of Pimpri Chinchwad. “People from a bungalow next to the park had checked their CCTV footage around 8.45 am and saw that the leopard had come inside the bungalow compound around 6.30 am. They informed the local police who in turn informed the Forest Department around 9 am,” said Assistant Conservator of Forest Deepak Pawar. Forest Department officials mobilised their teams along with a team of experts from RESQ Charitable Trust, Pimpri-Chinchwad Fire Brigade and police.

“Recognising the need for precise and timely intervention, RESQ Charitable Trust veterinarian Dr Kalyani Thakur safely tranquilised the leopard. Once safely immobilised, the animal was carefully extracted and transported in a rescue ambulance… The leopard is undergoing evaluation at the Wildlife Transit Treatment Centre in Bavdhan,” said Neha Panchamiya from RESQ.