Leopard runs amok in Agra city, rescued in 4 hours

"The leopard is a male, between 7 to 8 years old. Such rescue operations are highly sensitive and need careful planning in order to ensure the safety of the animal as well as of the people," said Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Dr S Ilayaraja.

The leopard was carefully transferred to a transit facility for temporary observation. (Photo: Wildlife SOS/UP Forest Department)

A leopard, running amok in Agra’s Etmauddaula, was rescued after a four-hour-long operation by the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and a non-government organisation, Wildlife SOS.

The leopard was captured on CCTV footage, running out of a house onto the crowded streets. It made its way into a fruit storage room, where it was locked inside by the locals. Once the Forest Department was alerted, a nine-member team of Wildlife SOS rushed to the spot with a team of forest officers.

The leopard was behind a crate of mangoes inside a small storage room. (Photo: Wildlife SOS/UP Forest Department)

“This is a densely populated area so the leopard sighting caused a wave of panic among the residents,” said Akhilesh Pande, Divisional Forest Officer, Agra. “After deploying our team to assess the situation, we contacted Wildlife SOS for their assistance in the rescue operation. We were able to provide effective and timely intervention with their help,” he said.

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The leopard was tranquilised by Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Dr S Ilayaraja after drilling a hole in the wall of the storage room to protect the crowd of 200 persons gathered at the spot.

A Wildlife SOS veterinarian immobilised the leopard using a sedative injection through the hole. (Photo: Wildlife SOS/UP Forest Department)

Dr Ilayaraja, who is also the Deputy Director of Veterinary Services at Wildlife SOS, said that the rescue was extremely challenging due to the huge crowd. “The leopard is a male, between 7 to 8 years old. Such rescue operations are highly sensitive and need careful planning in order to ensure the safety of the animal as well as of the people,” he said.

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