Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], April 19 (ANI): A young female leopard was rescued after being found trapped in a snare wire at the campus of Yashwant Singh Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry in Solan district, forest officials said on Sunday.
The animal, estimated to be around four years old, was first spotted by university staff, who alerted the Forest Department. Acting on the information, a team from the Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre Tutikandi, was rushed to the site on the request of the Divisional Forest Officer, Solan.
The Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, led by a veterinary expert, carried out a coordinated operation. The leopard was tranquilised for safe handling and subsequently freed from the snare. Officials said the animal had sustained minor injuries due to the wire.
Following the rescue, the leopard was shifted to the Tutikandi centre in Shimla for treatment and observation. Veterinary teams are monitoring its condition and have reported that the injuries are not life-threatening.
Forest officials said the animal will be released back into the wild once it fully recovers and is declared fit.
The Tutikandi rescue facility, operating under the state wildlife wing, has been actively engaged in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Officials said the centre has conducted around 350 rescue operations over the past three years, with animals either released after recovery or kept under long-term care if unfit for the wild.
The incident has once again highlighted the threat posed by illegal snaring, even as authorities pointed to the swift and coordinated response that ensured the leopard’s safe rescue.
The Deputy Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Shimla, Dr Shahnawaz Bhat, said the leopard is stable and under observation.
“The injuries are minor, and the animal is responding well to treatment. It will be released back into its natural habitat once it is fully fit,” he said. (ANI)