Leopard sighted in residential area of Nigdi, rescued within two hours
The rescue operation was supported by the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire and police departments as well as Scales and Tells, a local organisation working for wildlife conservation
On Sunday, a male leopard spotted in sector 24 of Nigdi Pradhikaran in Pimpri-Chinchwad was rescued in just two hours and fifteen minutes in a joint operation conducted by the forest department and RESQ Charitable Trust (RESQ CT), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and partner of the forest department. The rescue operation was supported by the Pimpri-Chinchwad fire and police departments as well as Scales and Tells, a local organisation working for wildlife conservation.
As per the official information shared by the forest department, Deepak Pawar, assistant conservator of forests (ACF), Pune forest division, received a tipoff about a leopard being sighted in the residential area of Nigdi Pradhikaran at around 9 am. Pawar immediately informed the team and forest officials and RESQ members reached the spot and began tracking the leopard’s movement. First spotted in Sant Kabir Garden, sector 24, the leopard then moved towards a nearby bungalow and hid behind a tin shed at the back. Meanwhile, fire officials and the police too reached the spot and cordoned off the entire area to safeguard the people who had gathered there. As the team tried to get close to the leopard, the animal retreated into the public park and hid next to a room with a woman and two young adults inside.
Neha Panchamiya, founder and president, RESQ Charitable Trust, said, “Recognising the need for precise and timely intervention, RESQ CT veterinarian Dr Kalyani Thakur safely tranquilised the leopard. Once safely immobilised, the animal was carefully extracted from the park and transported in a rescue ambulance for the purpose of medical assessment. The leopard, identified as a healthy male, is currently undergoing evaluation at the Wildlife Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) in Bavdhan.”
Mahadev Mohite, deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Pune forest department, said, “Tremendous cooperation from the local community played a crucial role in ensuring a safe and efficient rescue.”
Box 1
Citizens panic as rumours spread of two leopards being sighted
Initially, rumours about two leopards being spotted in sector 24 of Nigdi Pradhikaran in Pimpri-Chinchwad started doing the rounds of social media causing panic among area residents. However, the rescue team after checking the spot confirmed that no evidence had been found to support the presence of a second leopard. “The rumour most likely spread due to the leopard being spotted on two CCTV cameras of the residential area around the park,” said a forest official.
Box 2
Forest dept. investigating possible route for leopard movement
After successfully rescuing the leopard and transporting it to the Wildlife Transit Treatment Centre (TTC) in Bavdhan, the forest department has now initiated an investigation into how the leopard came to be in the Nigdi Pradhikaran area. Among the multiple claims being made by wildlife experts, one is that it likely travelled from Dehu to Nigdi with the green belt providing safe passage whereas the other theory is that the leopard likely travelled from Chikhali to Nigdi. Deepak Pawar, ACF, Pune forest department, said, “We are checking the CCTV camera footage in both areas. We expect to find the exact route the leopard took till late evening today.”
