Seven-year-old leopard saved from drowning at Junnar

The female leopard

A Leopard that fell into a 30-feet deep well was rescued only because a farmer happened to peep into the well before starting the pump attached to it. The Forest Department and Wildlife SOS NGO then managed to bring the seven-year-old female leopard out of the well in Yadavwadi village, Otur, Junnar district.

With the help of the villagers, the rescuers lowered a trap cage into the well, it's open door angled towards the leopard. The leopard jumped into the cage and was quickly lifted out of the well. Meanwhile, the Forest Department managed the crowd of curious onlookers milling about, to prevent any unnecessary panic or resultant mishaps. The leopard was finally taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for observation and treatment.

BC Yele, range forest officer, said, "Otur is a leopard prone area, so we work closely with Wildlife SOS to tackle such incidents." Dr Ajay Deshmukh, senior veterinarian at rescue centre, said, "The leopard will be kept under observation for a few days and then released."

Mahendra Dhore, wildlife SOS veterinary assistant, said, "As leopards are territorial animals, it is essential to release them in the vicinity they are rescued from." Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "We are glad to see that people are becoming more sensitised towards wild animals that share the surrounding habitats, and are making it their priority to reach out to our team and the forest department in such emergencies."

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