Mumbai: Lounging leopard gives Marol residents a fright

The two-year-old leopard that had entered Woodland Crest building in Marol was rescued by officials of the Forest Department and SGNP. Pics/Datta Kumbhar

Marol resident Suresh Shinde got the shock of his life on Monday morning when he spotted a leopard resting on a car in a parking lot here. The big cat, too, scared of the human presence, fled the spot by jumping over a wall and took refuge in the ground floor passage of Woodland Crest building. It was successfully rescued by the forest department officials after a three-hour-long challenging operation.'

"We got a call around 10 am immediately after which our Leopard Rescue Team along with the SGNP rescue team reached the spot. It was a challenging operation since the sub-adult leopard had taken refuge in the premises of a residential building but we successfully managed to rescue it thanks to good coordination between the forest department, police, fire brigade and volunteers involved in the operation," Deputy Conservator of Forest Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar told mid-day.

Hundreds gathered at the location to watch the wild animal

No casualties were reported in the entire incident, thanks to Rajesh Yadav, a local fruit vendor who saw the leopard entering the building premises and alerted the 16 families residing in the society not to step out.

Range Forest Officer Santosh Kank from Thane Forest Department, along with his team, cordoned off the area with safety nets around 11 am as a huge crowd of people gathered at the spot to catch a glimpse of the animal.

Also Read: Mumbai: Leopard numbers increase in Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Local fruits vendor Rajesh Yadav saved the day as he alerted residents to not leave their homes after seeing the leopard enter the building

The forest department team broke open the metal grill of a first floor flat in the eight-storey building, through which the rescuers entered the building and secured every floor before the leopard was spotted resting below the stairs on the ground floor. The area was closed using a safety net and Dr Shailesh Pethe fired the dart to tranquilise the animal. It was then taken to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

Also Read: Into the wild! When leopards stray into human habitat

'Survival harsh'

The male leopard is approximately two years old, said the veterinary doctor conducting a health check-up and blood sampling of the animal. "Once the leopard is found fit, a decision about its release will be taken," said Dr Shailesh Pethe, Veterinary Officer at SGNP.

Honorary Wildlife Warden (HWW) Mayur Kamath said that young leopard cubs wandering out in search of territory sometimes lose their way and are chased by dogs in residential areas. "For leopards living in a human-dominated landscape, survival is very harsh and tough compared to the ones in national parks and sanctuaries," Kamath added.

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