MUMBAI: An injured leopard was rescued in the early hours of Wednesday from Kopar village in Vasai taluka in Maharashtra's Palghar district.
The villagers had reported sighting of a leopard to the range forest officer, Mandwi ,Dahanu forest division.
S Limaye, chief conservator of forests said as a follow up action, patrolling activities were increased and camera traps were set up in the locality.
During patrolling, pug marks of the leopard were found by the team.
On March 26, an injured leopard was recorded in the camera trap set up in Kopar.
To capture the injured leopard, trap cages were set up by the forest Department. Meetings were conducted and pamphlets distributed to create awareness among the villagers about the presence of the leopard and to avoid negative interactions, with the help of the gram panchayat.
“On March 29 around 5.30 am, the injured leopard was successfully trapped in the cage set up. It has been shifted to transit treatment centre, SGNP for further treatment,” said Limaye.
Sources said the leopard had been moving around with a clamp on its foot clearly indicating attempts to poach.
The forest department said the cause of the injury is yet to be identified. However, a mobile squad has been deployed to conduct combing operations in the nearby areas to identify any poaching snares deployed.
The rescue team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali and volunteers from Spreading awareness on Reptiles and Rehabilitation program India (SARPP-India) helped in conducting the rescue operation successfully along with the personnel of Dahanu Forest Division.
