[ad_1]
A leopard spotted in the Hodal tehsil of Haryana’s Palwal district was rescued on Wednesday night after villagers alerted officials.
The leopard, a five-year-old male, will be released into the Aravalli forest after a medical check-up by nightfall on Thursday, officials said.
A leopard spotted in the Hodal tehsil of Haryana’s Palwal district was rescued on Wednesday night after villagers alerted officials. The leopard will be released into the Aravalli forest after a medical check-up by nightfall on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/i3xUEE743Z
— Express Delhi-NCR (@ieDelhi) September 15, 2022
Rajesh Chahal, a wildlife inspector in Gurgaon, said the leopard had been spotted near a temple in a forest patch at Hodal. “It was spotted around eight to ten days ago. People commuting along the stretch had also made videos of the leopard near the road. People in the area informed the subdivisional magistrate about the leopard. The movement of people around the temple was restricted. The department then did a recce and confirmed the presence of the leopard. A team of around six people was made. Two cages were laid for the leopard, and it was trapped sometime between 11pm and 12 am last night,” he said.
Chahal said the forest patch where the leopard was found is not part of the Aravallis. “There is a drain called the Ujina drain from Nuh that meets the Yamuna. The forest patch is close to the drain,” he said.
Rajdendra Prasad, divisional wildlife officer, said, “When it was spotted in the area, people began to get scared. A pathway was made leading up to the temple to be able to perform rituals there. There were monkeys, which means the leopard had access to food and water. The temple was quite some distance away from homes… We wanted to ensure that there were no untoward incidents.”
The Aravalli forest is around 15-20km from where the leopard was spotted. “It may have moved along the route of the drain. The Aravallis provide a good habitat for leopards,” Prasad said.
Prasad said the leopard was safe and not found to be injured. “A baby goat was placed in the cage, but with a barrier in between so that the leopard cannot attack the goat. After we were alerted, our team spotted the leopard a few times, but it would not enter the cage,” he added.
This is the first time a leopard has been spotted in the area, according to Chahal. “When leopards are outside the forest, close to or in a place where it can cause loss to people or hurt itself, then it is rescued,” he explained.
[ad_2]
Source link