Joint team operation by the Wildlife SOS and the forest department saves the feline trapped in well in Pondvadi Lakhangaon village in Manchar range of Maharashtra
Just a few days after two leopards were rescued from a well near Bhatkalwadi village in Ottur, Maharashtra, a six-month-old female leopard that had fallen into a 25-foot deep uncovered well in Manchar was saved and released back into its natural habitat. The important rescue operation was carried out by the Forest Department along with the help of NGO Wildlife SOS.
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The six-month-old leopard cub fell inside the 25-foot-deep well in Pondvadi Lakhangaon village, Manchar range. A local farmer who came near the well to switch on a motor pump, saw the animal trapped inside and he alerted the forest department.
As luck would have it, Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian Dr. Ajay Deshmukh and his team were conducting a training workshop for a group of 20 trainee officers of the Maharashtra Forest Department at Manchar. On receiving word of the incident, teams from the Wildlife SOS and the forest department rushed to the location and after ensuring that all safety measures were taken; set the rescue mission in motion.
The Wildlife SOS team and forest officers lowered a trap cage into the well to safely extricate the young leopard, thus rescuing the big cat t from a near-death situation. A routine veterinary checkup carried out by Dr. Ajay Deshmukh confirmed that the feline was an approximately six months old female. The cub was transferred to a Forest Department base for observation prior to release.
Dr. Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said "The cub was exhausted and was kept under observation to ensure she recuperated safely from the ordeal. As leopards are territorial animals, their survival in the wild reduces if they are released in a different area. Therefore, the leopard was later released close to where she had been found."
Kartick Satyanarayan, CEO & Co-founder Wildlife SOS said, "This is the second incident this week where we have had to rescue a leopard from an uncovered well. The issue cannot be taken lightly. It is not just leopards, a species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, that are vulnerable to these wells, but also several other species that may fall in accidentally, with potentially fatal results."
Prayjot Palve, Range Forest Officer (Junnar), said, "This rescue turned out to be a brilliant learning experience, as our trainee officers had the opportunity to assist in a real rescue mission. Rescue operations involving leopards can be dangerous and need careful planning in order to ensure the safety of the animal as well as the people. We hope that after seeing the Forest department and Wildlife SOS team in action, our officers have been inspired to execute such operations with skill and proficiency in the future."
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