The open wells in Maharashtra continue to be dangerous for wild animals, especially the leopards as another incident of rescue of a trapped animal was reported recently from Otur village in Junnar division of the State. This is the third incident from the division which has come to light.

The Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the Forest Department was called to help to rescue a leopard from a 50 feet deep open well in Otur village. The animal was spotted by a local villager who called for help. Following the rescue, a medical examination was done which found the animal to be fit and so it was released into the wild.

On receiving the news of the stranded leopard, a four-member SOS team was dispatched from Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center, led by Dr. Nikhil Bangar, a veterinary officer. The personnel of Otur Range Forest Division too reached the spot.

The leopard had taken refuge in a narrow cavity inside the well as it was unable to get out and was frightened of the large crowd that had gathered around. The rescue teams after controlling the people carefully lowered a trap cage into the well. Once the animal got into it, the cage was lifted.

The animal was examined in a nearby forest nursery for injuries.

Also read: Stranded leopard rescued from a 10-foot-deep well near Pune

Sharing details of the rescued animal, Bangar said: “The leopard was a female, approximately 5 months old. The rescue operation was extremely risky and it took almost four hours. The leopard was quite active, and a thorough check-up confirmed that she had no injuries and was fit for release.”

Speaking about the incident, the Range Forest Officer, Caidhev Madhukar Kakde remarked: “The farmer who spotted the leopard contacted us out of concern for the animal and we immediately contacted Wildlife SOS for reinforcement. Otur village is a leopard prone area that has a few open wells.”

Also read: Maharashtra villagers come to the rescue of leopard that fell into a well