Leopard rescued from 40-feet deep well in Pune

A leopard that had fallen into a 40-feet-deep well in a village in Pune district was saved from drowning in a two-hour-long rescue operation conducted by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department.

The incident took place in Vadgaon Kandali, located in the Pune district of Maharashtra on Monday.

Dotted across villages that are situated in close proximity to the forests, wells constitute the support system for the sugarcane farming communities. Indispensable to these sugarcane cultivators, these wells offer a deadly fate to wild animals.

The 5-year-old male leopard escaped a narrow brush with death after falling into a 40-feet-deep well.

The big cat’s distressed cries caught the attention of the villagers who immediately reached out to the MFD.

A four-member rescue team operating out of Wildlife SOS-run Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar was also dispatched to the location to assist the forest officers.

The rescuers immediately lowered a trap cage into the well and the leopard, sensing that this was his only chance out, carefully climbed into it.

After being lifted out of the well, the leopard was transferred to the Leopard Rescue Centre for medical examination. Dr Nikhil Bangar, Wildlife Veterinary Officer, Wildlife SOS, said, “While the leopard was struggling to claw its way out of the well, he sustained minor abrasions at the nail region. We will keep the leopard under close observation while he recuperates from this stressful ordeal.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS, said, “The entire exercise had to be executed quickly and with painstaking care. We are grateful to the forest department for making this rescue a success. The startling increasing rate of habitat encroachment has resulted in decreasing prey base, territory and water sources for predator species like leopards that are then forced to come out into human habitation. Since these elusive cats usually prefer to move around at night, it is common for them to fall victim to uncovered wells.”

Yogesh Ghodke, Regional Forest Officer, said, “We suspect that the leopard had fallen into the well at night while on the prowl for food. The leopard is currently under temporary observation at the Wildlife SOS centre.”