Leopard caught, shifted to zoo

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Sangrur, September 17

Within hours of some residents sharing information on having spotted a leopard near the Bir Aishwan Wildlife Sanctuary, a Rapid Response Team (RRT) managed to catch it last night. A special team from Chattbir zoo headed by the zoo veterinarian and wildlife staff shifted the animal to the zoo in the wee hours today.

As per information, on Saturday, some residents saw a leopard outside the premises of the IOCL dump on the New Delhi road. Besides, a video of the leopard roaming in the area also went viral. Since it was seen near some villages, it led to panic among villagers. Some wildlife department officers said that a few area residents also reported attack on livestock. An RRT was formed under the supervision of range forest officer, Sangrur, for monitoring.

“The presence of an adult male leopard was confirmed after a preliminary inquiry by the team. They also found some pug marks and the CCTV footage of the IOCL dump also confirmed its presence,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vidhya Sagari said.

As a precautionary measure, a rescue cage was placed strategically at the location where its movement was observed. The leopard was trapped in the cage around 9 pm last night. After getting information about trapping of the animal, an expert team from Chattbir zoo headed by the zoo veterinarian and wildlife staff was deputed to shift it.

“The leopard was successfully shifted to the zoo with the help of experts and doctors in the wee hours today,” the DFO said.

Some area residents said that they had even formed special patrolling teams to prevent any attack by the leopard in their areas.