Having fallen in an open 50-feet-deep well, a leopard was fortunately rescued in time saving it from drowning. The incident happened in Alkuti village located in Parner subdivision, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.

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The feline was found by a shocked local farmer, who fearing that the creature may not survive for long in the deep water, immediately called the Forest Department who in turn alerted the Wildlife SOS team of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre.

While a four-member team from Wildlife SOS led by Veterinary Assistant Mahendra Dhore drove 60 kilometres to reach the spot, the Forest officials with help from villagers lowered a metal crate into the well to enable the animal to clamber onto it for temporary support.

With the Wildlife SOS team reaching the scene, a trap cage was lowered into the well to safely rescue the leopard who leaped into the trap. After carefully pulling up the cage, the creature was taken to a nearby forest nursery and examined for injuries and later released into the wild.

Sharing details of the creature, Dhore said, “The leopard was a male, approximately 7 years old. The entire exercise had to be quickly executed with painstaking care. We are grateful to the forest department and villagers for making this rescue a success.”

The Parner Range Forest Officer, Pratap Jagtap remarked: “Leopards adapt to surviving around human-dominated landscapes, bringing them into close contact with humans leading to such situations. We are glad the animal was unhurt and was able to return to its natural habitat.”

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