A male leopard in Pune’s Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park escaped from its enclosure in the early hours of Monday. Officials at the Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WARRC) said that the large cat had been seen within the zoo area but is yet to be caught.
Teams from the Pune Fire Brigade and State Forest Department are also working alongside the WARRC and Zoo staff in the rescue mission, Indian Express reported, adding that drones are also being put to use to locate the leopard.
Additional Municipal Commissioner Vikas Dhakane confirmed that the leopard is still inside the perimeters of the zoo. “The rescue operation is on and best of the equipment and manpower has been deputed for the purpose. However, the animal is changing places regularly. The zoo has been cordoned off with staff deputed on all sides of the zoo,” Dhakane was quoted as saying.
As of Monday, 8 am, the rescue operation was still underway, a fire brigade official said. He said that the leopard was last spotted in a CCTV camera around 4:30 am, in a specific section of the zoo.
“The fire brigades from Pune, PCMC and PMRDA have deployed various equipment including skylift ladders, rescue vans and other things. Early in the morning a drone has also been deployed by rescuers,” the official added.
The WARRC, which is located inside the zoo, was home to the male leopard. It was brought in around three months ago from Karnataka’s Hampi as part of an animal exchange programme.
Reportedly a staffer — on regular rounds — had noticed the leopard missing from its enclosure. Dhakane further said it is likely that the leopard, having been born in a zoo, will not stray out of the premises.
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