CANACONA: A leopard, which inadvertently got trapped on a coconut tree at Agonda, gave a slip and fled from a residential locality to the chagrin of Forest (Wildlife) Special Rescue Squad, especially requisitioned from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday.
The leopard while reportedly trekking its prey got trapped on the top of a 12-metre height coconut tree, as family of Hiranath alias Monunaik Pagi and several residents kept a watch on it till the arrival of forest (wildlife) team from Bondla.
The incident turned to be a touristic attraction, as several tourists made a beeline to visit the place and took pictures of the trapped leopard at Agonda.
According to Kashi Pagi (housewife), since late Saturday night barking sounds of dogs were heard, leaving them suspicious that some unusual movements in the locality triggered such barking.
“It was about 5 am on Sunday that I heard the sound of two coconuts falling behind our house. As the barking sounds continued all around, we came out and put the torch light on a coconut tree and were shocked to notice a leopard. It was then our neighbours joined us and at about 6 am, we informed the forest officials and the police to rescue the trapped leopard from our coconut tree,” Kashi informed.
With no attempts coming to rescue the leopard, forest personnel kept on informing the residents that a forest team is arriving from Bondla zoo, with a shooting expert RFO Paresh, an expert in giving tranquilizing shots before such animals are rescued.
With police and forest officials striving hard to keep the onlookers at bay by cordoning off the area to some level, the Forest Rescue team led by RFO Paresh finally reached at 1.30 pm and fired a tranquilizer shot unsuccessfully at the leopard.
While attempts were made to give a second shot from the house top, the leopard jumped from the tree top on the house, where the some forest personnel were positioning.
Luckily for the forest officials on the house top, the leopard missed to hurt anyone, but soon after landing on the house tiles, the leopard fled from the area.