Less than 24 hours after a leopard was spotted in an abandoned factory warehouse and along the boundary of a residential complex in Andheri (East), a Mumbai suburb, the animal was captured in one of the strategically-placed trap cages and released back into the wild.
Forest officials said it was a male adult leopard, aged around five years.
The animal had strayed close to Kanakia Atrium-2 near JB Nagar in Andheri-MIDC (Andheri-East) on Sunday early morning and was spotted by security staff of the apartment complex, who immediately informed the police and forest department.
Forest officials said the animal was hiding in a 20-acre area, adjacent to the residential society, which housed Vazir Glass Warehouse, an abandoned factory warehouse, and placed three trap cages there on Sunday.
“On early Monday morning, the leopard was trapped in one of the cages,” said Santosh Kank, range forest officer (Mumbai). “The animal was transported to the van parked near the society and released back into the wild.”
A forest official said the animal was released back into Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). “However, as per protocol, we cannot name the exact location, where the animal was released,” said the forest officer.
The factory warehouse has been lying abandoned for over two decades and there are several areas that are covered with dense vegetation, where the leopard could have hidden. “The animal avoided any movement during the day. But, it might have moved towards the trap cages late at night on Sunday or Monday early morning, where a chicken was kept as bait and got trapped,” he said.
Teams from SGNP, Mumbai, and Thane forest range, and animal rescue groups had gathered at the spot after the incident was reported on Sunday.
Two cages were set up during the day, and another by the afternoon.
Besides, camera traps (about 10-12) were placed across the abandoned warehouse to track the animal’s movement. Two forest guards and a few police personnel were deployed at the residential complex in a bid to restrict the movement of the public.
In April 2019, a leopard was rescued after a three-hour operation following its entry into a residential area in Marol, Andheri (East).
At least six leopards have been rescued from residential areas in the densely-populated Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) since 2017.
SGNP and its surrounding areas, including Aarey Colony, are home to an estimated 47 leopards.
Source: HindustanTimes