The students and staff of Chaudhary Nihal Singh Inter College located in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh were in for a massive surprise when they encountered a adult leopard on the campus. The animal created a panic among those present in the premises.

The sighting of this creature was immediately reported to the Forest Department who coordinated with the Wildlife SOS, a conservation charity based in Agra. A  five-member team from Wildlife SOS, equipped with safety nets, a trap cage and protective gear to carry out the rescue mission, rushed to the spot to assist a group of forest officers in the rescue operation.

On reaching the Inter College, the first action the two teams took was to ensure that all the staff and students were safely evacuated from the building and the all entry and exit points secured.

Meanwhile, the monitoring of the CCTV footage installed in the classrooms showed that the panic-stricken leopard was moving from one classroom to the other trying to escape.

When the animal was tracked down on the first floor, a bucket truck – used for repairing street lights – was requisitioned to know the exact location of the leopard. The feline was found hiding behind a chair inside an empty classroom, the entry to which was blocked using a board. Meanwhile, the Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Dr. Rahul Prasad using a sedative injection immobilised the leopard through a window.

The experts guess the age of this male to be six years. The big cat was placed in a trap cage and later released in the Shivalika forest division in Saharanpur.

Sharing details about this male leopard, Dr. Prasad said: “The leopard is a healthy male, estimated to be six years old. Such rescue operations are highly sensitive and need careful planning in order to ensure the safety of the animal as well as of the people. The leopard kept running between classrooms which made the rescue operation challenging.”

Providing additional information, Aditi Sharma, Conservator of Forests, Aligarh added: “The leopard must have sought shelter inside the college at night and was first sighted near the staircase. On hearing about the incident, our team rushed to the location and immediately evacuated the students and staff, and cordoned off the area with safety nets. Wildlife SOS assisted us in the safe rescue and release of the leopard.”

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