Leopard rescued from an open, 10-feet-deep well in Junnar

The leopard was rescued by lowering a trap cage into the well

Weeks after a leopard was rescued from a 35-feet-deep well in Narayanwadi village of Junnar division, a similar operation was conducted by the state Forest Department and NGO Wildlife SOS at Belsar village on Friday. In this case, a leopard had fallen into a 10-feet-deep open well, but he was successfully rescued.

According to the NGO, a farmer spotted the animal in the well and alerted the forest department. Wildlife SOS, operating out of Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, was also called in for reinforcement. A three-member rescue team led by Wildlife SOS Veterinary Officer Dr Nikhil Bangar lowered a trap cage into the well and rescued the leopard. Bangar said, "The animal will be kept under observation for a few days till he is deemed fit for release."

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO and co-founder of Wildlife SOS said, "The issue cannot be taken lightly. It is not just leopards, but if other animals fall into wells it can be fatal."

Range Forest Officer, Ajit Shinde, said, "This is becoming a common occurrence across Junnar. We have advised the villagers to take precautionary measures by covering up open wells."