Forest officials cage leopard from fields of Ramnath village

“The villagers told us that they had seen the leopard in the farms. We waited for a couple of days to ensure if it was a leopard or some other animal. But after examining the pug marks,we were sure that it was a leopard. We had been camping on the outskirts of the village for the last three days,and finally at 5 am on Friday,the leopard was caged,” said M R Gadhvi of Vadodara Social Forestry Department.

He added,“The leopard has received some minor injuries on the nose. We had called a doctor from Sayajibaug Zoo,who opined that the animal did not require any treatment as the wound would heal naturally.”

Sayajibaug Zoo curator C B Patel told Newsline,“There were injury marks on the leopard’s forehead,nose and paws. It must have injured itself while trying to get out of the cage,but the wounds would heal naturally once it is released. I have examined the wounds. They do not require any treatment.”

Interestingly,this time the forest department officials did not take help of any organisation for the rescue operations. “Basically,we did not feel the requirement of any assistance and at the same time their involvement results in complications. We have brought the animal to our nursery and we plan to release it as soon as possible,” said a senior forest official at Vadodara range.

Meanwhile,forest officials are still camping in the village where the female leopard is still roaming free.

“We have placed the cage at the same spot and there are chances that the female leopard might get trapped,” Gadhvi said.