Leopard stuck on 150 feet tree rescued in central Kashmir

Srinagar: Wildlife officials rescued a leopard which had taken shelter on 150 feet poplar tree in the Chadoora area of Budgam district.

Panic had gripped Hayatpora area of Chadoora in Budgam district, when a leopard was seen on a poplar tree.

“We received information about the leopard presence in the afternoon. Immediately a rescue team was deputed to the area, and the operation continued during the night till 2:30 am,” Wildlife Warden, Wetlands Ifshan Deewan told The Kashmir Monitor.

Deewan maintained that the leopard will be released into the wild soon after an examination.

“Unfortunately, the people don’t co-operate during such rescue operations. The leopard would have retreated into the wild on its own. However, the commotion, and panic made it all the more difficult for rescue team. It’s requested that people should keep a safe distance from such sites,” she said.

Conflicts arising from leopards straying into human habitation are mounting in the states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, tea gardens of Assam, Western Ghats and in the suburbs of Bengaluru, Mumbai and Guwahati.

The cat, Panthera pardus fusca, declared an endangered species under Schedule I of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and also listed as “Near Threatened” in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, usually ends up losing its life in this conflict.

Earlier in January, an adult male leopard was rescued in Bagh-e-Mehtab colony in Srinagar after a five-day long rescue operation.