Leopard breaks into school canteen in Maharashtra, rescued

In a shocking incident, an adult male leopard broke into the canteen of Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, located in Takali Dhokeshwar village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

The big cat was successfully rescued in a four-hour-long daring operation by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department and is currently under medical care and observation at the Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar.

The adult leopard entered a school through the kitchen window.

While all schools across the state remain shut due to the Covid 19 pandemic, the on-ground maintenance staff at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya were busy with a clean up of the premises on Wednesday.

The panic-stricken staff immediately shut the canteen doors and windows from outside and reported to Forest Department and Junnar-based conservation charity, Wildlife SOS.

On arriving at the school, the team first ensured that all entry and exit points were secured following which they carefully set the rescue plan in motion. In the meantime, the panic-stricken leopard kept scrambling from one corner of the room to the other to escape.

The rescuer team cut a hole in the entry door of the canteen so they could insert a camera and torchlight to get a clear visual of the exact location of the leopard. Once they confirmed its position, Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor Dr Nikhil Bangar immobilised the leopard using a sedative injection through the hole.

The leopard was safely shifted to a trap cage and transferred to the Wildlife SOS Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar for medical care and observation.

The leopard, estimated to be a 7 to 8 yearly male had wounds all over his body that were at risk of becoming septic in the rains.

Dr Nikhil Bangar, Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS, said, “The leopard has scratch marks and wounds on the head, ear, neck, chest and tail regions. The injuries indicate that he must have gotten into a territorial fight with another male and had rushed to find shelter inside the school. We are currently administering topical treatment and dressing the wounds along with proving antibiotics and anti-anti-inflammatory medication to help alleviate the pain.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder & CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, “Big cats, especially the males often compete with each other for prey and territory base. Shrinking habitats and loss of natural prey base has led to more frequent struggles between animals over space and territory.”

Pratap Jagpat, RFO Takali Dhokeshwar, said, “Ahmednagar is a leopard prone area and these big cats often wander into human settlements in search of food and shelter. ”