Leopard rescued after entering the Chakan slum area in Pune

A leopard which sneaked into a slum locality in the Chakan area of Pune was rescued by the Maharashtra Forest Department and Wildlife SOS.

On Tuesday morning, residents of a chawl settlement next to the Pune-Nashik highway in Chakan town woke up to the news of a leopard in their neighbourhood.

To everyone’s surprise, the leopard made itself at home inside a chawl.

The incident was immediately reported to forest officials, who rushed to the location at 6 am.

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The Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar was also called to assist in the rescue operation.

The forest officers and local police implemented crowd control measures while the Wildlife SOS veterinary doctor immobilised the leopard from a safe distance. The animal is currently under medical observation.

Amol Satpute, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer for Junnar Division, said, “We suspect that the leopard was hit by a vehicle and was trying to find a spot to rest. This is a densely populated area, so the leopard sighting caused a wave of panic among the residents... the leopard was carefully tranquilised. The rescue operation was carried out swiftly and efficiently by the team.”