15/12/2018
PUNE: In a
late-night rescue operation that lasted nearly two hours, Wildlife SOS and the Forest
department rushed to the aid of a 6-year-old female leopard in Thakur Pimpri village
located in Pune district, Maharashtra. The leopard is weak, suffering from severe
dehydration and currently undergoing treatment.
At around 7 pm on Friday, the Wildlife SOS team operating out
of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center in Junnar received a distress call from
ACF Yuvraj Mohite about a reported leopard sighting in Thakur Pimpri village
located in Walunj Shivar, Pune district. Residents were left in a state of
panic after they spotted the leopard resting under a tree in the outskirts of
the village and immediately contacted the authorities for help.
Bracing themselves with safety nets, a trap cage and
tranquilizing equipment to carry out the rescue mission, a six-member team from
Wildlife SOS immediately headed to the location accompanied by about ten forest
officers. As a crowd of on-lookers had gathered around the field, the forest
officers cordoned off the area as a safety measure, while Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian,
Dr. Ajay Deshmukh carefully immobilized the distressed feline using a sedative injection
from a safe distance.
The rescue mission lasted for almost two hours after which the
leopard was carefully transported to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for
immediate medical intervention. The facility provides a transit home for
leopards in peril or caught in conflict situations and currently houses over 30
leopards who cannot be released back into the wild.
Dr. Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at the Wildlife SOS
Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center said, “The leopard is an approx. 6-years-old
female. She is weak and suffering from severe dehydration, so we have put the
animal on oral rehydration solution and IV drips.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS
said, “The leopard is under stress and will take time to recover from the
ordeal. Our dedicated team of veterinarians is carrying out the necessary
treatment for the injuries and upon complete recovery, it will be released back
into its natural habitat. We are extremely grateful to the forest department
for their cooperation and for their assistance in making this rescue a
success.”
Yuvraj Mohite, Asst. Conservator of Forests- Junnar said,
“Junnar region has a significant leopard population and they are often spotted
in the vicinity of human settlements. We work closely with Wildlife SOS to
carry out rescue missions and awareness programs across villages to help
mitigate human-leopard conflict.”
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