A young leopard that wandered into a residential building in India was rescued by the forest department in an operation lasting more than three hours.
The big cat snuck into a building in the Marol area of Mumbai on April 1, The Asian reported. According to forestry officers, the leopard was spotted sleeping under a vehicle in the Woodland Crest Residential Society before residents called for help.
At about 10:30 am, a team from the forest department arrived at the scene. The leopard ran into the basement of a building in the area. By noon, the leopard was tranquilized under a staircase on the ground floor. No residents were attacked or injured during the rescue operation.
By 2:30 pm, the leopard was delivered to the rescue center of Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
Sunish Subramanian, a wildlife warden in Mumbai, said ongoing construction work of the metro railway in the area may have pushed the leopard into entering the residential area. He added that it may also have been searching for water when it was found.
