In what was initially assumed as an April Fool's day prank doing rounds turned out to be one of the trickier leopard rescue operations for the forest department that went on for nearly three hours.
Panic struck Marol in Andheri on Monday morning after a one-and-half-year-old leopard entered Woodland Crest, an eight-storey residential complex, around 9.30 am. The building is barely 100 metres from Aarey Colony.
Rajesh Yadav, who sells juice opposite the building in the busy Vijay Nagar area, was among the first few to spot the big cat jumping over the boundary wall of the housing colony. "I asked the security to warn everyone in the building to not step out." Yadav said others in the vicinity also spotted the wild animal and alerted the police and forest department.
"We were scared after we were told that a leopard was in the building. We feel glad no one was hurt and the leopard was captured. Things could have been worse if it had been an adult leopard as many people left the building during the time it was inside," said a resident of Woodland Crest.
Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar, deputy conservator of forest (Thane division), said they reached the spot around 10.30 am and sealed the only exit. "It was a very challenging operation as no one knew on which floor the leopard was. This made the entry into the building for the rescue team difficult," he said.
The rescue team spoke to residents and the building security guard and concluded that the leopard could still be sitting beneath the staircase on the ground floor, said Dr Shailesh Pethe, the veterinary officer at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).
"Our team members removed the grill on the first floor and saw that the scared leopard was hiding below the stairs on the ground floor. They immediately secured the stair exit towards the first floor with nets. Then we entered the area and tranquilised the leopard," said Pethe, adding that the big cat was so scared that it did not even move an inch nor charged at the rescue team.
Meanwhile, social media users began reporting the serious efforts on the ground, but the news found few takers considering that Monday was April 1. Many ignored it thinking it was an April Fool's Day prank.
The leopard was brought to SGNP for a medical check-up and was found to be fit to be released. "Given its age, we will release it in its natural habitat soon," said Ramgaonkar.
Mayur Kamath, honorary wildlife warden of Mumbai Suburbs and member of State Wildlife Board, said, "A young cub wandering out in search of territory sometimes loses its way and finds itself being chased by dogs, people as daylight sets in. These animals live like a phantom inside Aarey Colony."
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