Team Herald
PORIEM: In a joint operation conducted by the Sattari range Forest Department officials and officers from the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, a leopard that had fallen into a well in Shirsode on Thursday night was rescued. The rescue team pulled the animal out of the well using a trap cage, and got it examined thoroughly by a veterinary doctor, who confirmed that the leopard was in good health.
According to Dayanand Gaonkar, the owner of the property where the well is situated, his family noticed that the net covering the well was torn on Friday morning. “We looked inside and were shocked to find a leopard treading water, roaring away at us,” said Gaonkar. The family was scared, but immediately called the Forest Department officials for help. The rescue team arrived at the spot with a trap and successfully rescued the leopard at around 9 am on Friday.
Range Forest Officer Shamsundar Gawas confirmed that the leopard will be released in the Mollem Wildlife Sanctuary. Meanwhile, the Gaonkar family has requested the government to clean their well following the incident, as it is their only source of water for cooking and drinking purposes.
The rescue operation attracted a huge crowd of onlookers, and the big cat in the cage required six to eight men to load it onto a vehicle.
