Lower than 24 hours after a leopard was noticed in an deserted manufacturing facility warehouse and alongside the boundary of a residential advanced in Andheri (East), a Mumbai suburb, the animal was captured in one of many strategically-placed lure cages and launched again into the wild.
Forest officers mentioned it was a male grownup leopard, aged round 5 years.
The animal had strayed near Kanakia Atrium-2 close to JB Nagar in Andheri-MIDC (Andheri-East) on Sunday early morning and was noticed by safety employees of the house advanced, who instantly knowledgeable the police and forest division.
Forest officers mentioned the animal was hiding in a 20-acre space, adjoining to the residential society, which housed Vazir Glass Warehouse, an deserted manufacturing facility warehouse, and positioned three lure cages there on Sunday.
“On early Monday morning, the leopard was trapped in one of many cages,” mentioned Santosh Kank, vary forest officer (Mumbai). “The animal was transported to the van parked close to the society and launched again into the wild.”
A forest official mentioned the animal was launched again into Sanjay Gandhi Nationwide Park (SGNP). “Nevertheless, as per protocol, we can not title the precise location, the place the animal was launched,” mentioned the forest officer.
The manufacturing facility warehouse has been mendacity deserted for over twenty years and there are a number of areas which can be lined with dense vegetation, the place the leopard may have hidden. “The animal prevented any motion in the course of the day. However, it may need moved in direction of the lure cages late at evening on Sunday or Monday early morning, the place a rooster was stored as bait and received trapped,” he mentioned.
Groups from SGNP, Mumbai, and Thane forest vary, and animal rescue teams had gathered on the spot after the incident was reported on Sunday.
Two cages had been arrange in the course of the day, and one other by the afternoon.
In addition to, digital camera traps (about 10-12) had been positioned throughout the deserted warehouse to trace the animal’s motion. Two forest guards and some police personnel had been deployed on the residential advanced in a bid to limit the motion of the general public.
In April 2019, a leopard was rescued after a three-hour operation following its entry right into a residential space in Marol, Andheri (East).
Not less than six leopards have been rescued from residential areas within the densely-populated Mumbai Metropolitan Area (MMR) since 2017.
SGNP and its surrounding areas, together with Aarey Colony, are dwelling to an estimated 47 leopards.