Leopard caught in poacher's snare on UP-Uttarakhand border rescued after 12 hours

Pilibhit: A leopard trapped in a poacher's snare on the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border was rescued after nearly 12 hours on Tuesday and shifted to the Surai Range for monitoring, officials said.

The incident took place in Bhagchuri village, where farmers spotted the trapped leopard on Tuesday morning and informed the authorities. A team from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in Pilibhit, along with forest officials from the Khatima Range, carried out the rescue operation.

Exhausted after multiple failed attempts to free itself, the leopard eventually lay down on a narrow dirt path between fields.

As the news about the trapped animal spread, a large crowd of villagers gathered at the spot, prompting authorities to deploy police personnel.

Officials said the timely rescue operation helped save the leopard's life.

Confirming the incident to PTI, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Manish Singh stated that the case fell under the jurisdiction of Uttarakhand.

A team of experts from Haldwani was called in to conduct the rescue operation, which was successfully completed in the evening. The injured leopard was freed from the snare and taken to the Surai Range for observation, he said.

Forest department officials suspect the leopard got trapped in the snare during the night and was stuck for nearly 12 hours, Singh said.

After the incident, officials have increased surveillance to check poaching. Poachers are reportedly using new techniques to trap wild animals. The forest department has been issuing guidelines regularly to curb such activities, he said.

In another incident, a leopard attacked and killed a pet dog in Banjaria village under Puranpur tehsil in Pilibhit, according to residents.

The dog owner tried to save his pet and narrowly escaped the big cat's attack.

While there was no official word on the incident, the dog owner, Sukhdev Singh, claimed the leopard suddenly emerged from the fields and pounced on his dog.

"When I tried to intervene, the leopard tried to attack me as well. Villagers managed to retrieve the dog's carcass," he said.

Residents claimed that there have been frequent leopard sightings in the area for some time. They alleged that despite informing the forest department, no official has visited the area to assess the situation.