Escaped Leopard Found in Katraj Zoological park after 12-Hour Search. A leopard, originally from Hampi in Karnataka, kept in the isolation room of the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological park, managed to escape from its cage, sparking a 12-hour search effort before being located.
Escape and Search Effort
The male leopard, part of a group of three females and one male spread over 130 acres of the zoo, was noticed missing around 9:30 AM on Monday morning. It was later spotted near the water tank close to the isolation center in Sarpodyana around 8:30 PM the same day. Due to its location in dense bush, traditional methods of sedation were not possible. Instead, a system was activated to capture the leopard, using three strategically placed cages to prevent it from crossing the boundary wall.
Response and Containment
Responding to the escape, Rajkumar Jadhav, director of the Zoological Museum, stated that the leopard likely escaped by manipulating the cage’s upper side. As a precaution, the area was closed off to tourists, while the complete zoo remained open. Various teams, including the fire brigade, were deployed to search for the leopard, ensuring the safety of over a hundred other animals of different species housed in the museum.
Cause and Speculation
Officials speculated that the noise from trucks transporting four animals as part of an animal swap program on Sunday night might have disturbed the leopard, causing it to escape. The leopard did not flee the zoo but instead remained within the confines of the rescue center. The animal, already sick, was not deemed a threat. All necessary precautions were taken, and experts were on hand to safely sedate and return it to its enclosure within the zoo’s boundary walls.