Leopard trapped in barbed wire fence, rescued after sedation

Coimbatore

The severely injured leopard was rescued after sedation. The animal had strayed into Mothepalayam village in Sirumugai Forest Range in search of food from a nearby hillock on Saturday night.

While retreating into Chennamalai hillock in the early morning hours on Sunday, the leopard unfortunately got trapped in the fence of a private farm. While attempting to free itself from the trap, the animal sustained severe injuries all over its body.

As news of the leopard stuck in the fence spread out, villagers turned out in large numbers to take a look. Upon receiving information, the staff of the Forest Department arrived and barricaded people from going near the trapped animal.

Tense moments prevailed for a while as the gathered villagers argued with the Forest Department staff after they refused permission for media personnel to record the rescue operation by claiming that the animal may not be handled properly.

Efforts were then taken to rescue the animal by sedation. Forest veterinarian Sugumar and Thekkampatty veterinary hospital medical officer Rajesh injected the animal with sedation by tying a needle to a lengthy bamboo stick.

As the leopard came under the influence of sedation, the Forest Department staff took it out after a few hours of struggle around 1 pm. The animal was then caged and loaded into a lorry. Officials said that the animal will be treated for its injuries before being released into the forest cover.

Villagers said that they have been spending sleepless nights due to frequent leopard intrusions. Barely six months ago, a leopard strayed into Mothepalayam and preyed on cattle and dogs owned by farmers. Then, after persistent demands from the public, the Forest Department trapped the leopard in a cage and released it into the BhavaniSagar forest area.