In Goa, leopard on a coconut tree leaves forest officials flummoxed for hours

“It is suspected that the leopard first got on the roof of a two-storey house and from there, it climbed the tree,” said Jiss K Varkey, deputy conservator of forests, North Goa division, Ponda.

Forest department received information around 8 am on Sunday and a team was dispatched for the rescue. With the leopard stranded so far up, rescuers faced a predicament.

“Using a tranquiliser dart to sedate the leopard was fraught with several risks. At that height, the leopard could fall off and get fatally injured. And if its leg got caught in the tree spathe, it could have put a lot of pressure on its heart. So we ruled out that option,” said Ali Shaikh, a rescuer with the forest department in Ponda range.

Forest officials initially attempted to lure the leopard down by creating some noise, before deciding against that approach. After initial panic gave way to curiosity, with people lining up the compound to click pictures of the big cat, officials cordoned off the area.

“An eagle had laid eggs in a nest on the tree. As the bird tried to bite the leopard, it was stressed for a bit and it seemed it might come down. The area has a lot of houses nearby, so we were aware that if it comes down, there could be a possibility of a man-animal conflict. The presence of several stray dogs, which were circling the tree and consistently barking, was also an issue,” said Shaikh.

Officials finally decided on a ‘non-interventionist’ approach, hoping that the leopard, being nocturnal, would simply crawl down on its own during the night when the commotion subsides. The street lights in the area were turned off and the dogs were moved away. A team of forest department and rangers camped near the tree at night, patiently waiting.

“Around 1.15 am, the leopard came down on its own and ran off into the forest. Prima facie, the leopard appeared healthy and we suspect it is over 3 years old. We are gathering more information,” said Varkey.