Jammu: The Wildlife officials in Kathua district on Tuesday rescued a leopard that had strayed into a village and taken shelter inside a villager’s shed.
The leopard had taken shelter inside a structure in the Paka Kotha area of Dayal Chak village, sparking fear among residents.
“As soon as we received the information, our team quickly gathered all available staff and rushed to the spot,” a wildlife official leading the rescue operation told reporters.
According to officials, the leopard appeared to have been injured and got trapped inside the cluttered store room, which was packed with firewood and other household items.
“When we entered the room for inspection, we found the leopard hiding underneath objects,” the official said.
The cramped and cluttered space made the rescue operation challenging, with officials initially struggling to tranquilise the animal.
“Two darts were wasted because the leopard was not clearly visible. We had to make extensive efforts to complete the operation successfully,” he said.
The rescue team eventually managed to tranquilise the leopard through the tin shed roof before safely pulling it out.
“We tranquilised it from above through the tin roof and later rescued it safely. The animal will now be shifted to Manda Zoo,” the official added.
Dravinder Singh, the Numberdar whose store room became the leopard’s hiding spot, said villagers were relieved that no one was injured.
“Children and villagers often go out to graze cattle, so fortunately nothing untoward happened,” he said.
However, he voiced concern over the increasing movement of wild animals into residential areas.
“Our crops and fields are suffering continuous damage. People are especially worried about children going to school. If the leopard had suddenly come out, one can imagine what might have happened,” Singh said, urging authorities to take concrete steps to tackle the growing human-wildlife conflict.
