Leopard suffers paw injury in Thane's national park, rescued after 21-hour op

An injured adult male leopard was rescued from Mama Bhanja Hills in Thane within the Yeoor Range of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on Sunday after a 21-hour operation, a forest official said.

Authorities received information on Saturday about a leopard that was unable to walk properly. Residents of Indira Nagar and personnel of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation (MSSC) who were patrolling the area later spotted the animal sitting in a tree.

Following the alert, an SGNP rescue team and the forest department's Thane Territorial Wing, assisted by volunteers from the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), reached the spot and launched a rescue operation, said Pawan Sharma of RAWW.

The teams began monitoring the leopard on Saturday. However, by the time they started the rescue effort, the animal had moved into nearby bushes and disappeared. Rescue personnel later located the big cat hiding in an inaccessible area.

The operation was suspended around midnight on Saturday, but forest officials, security personnel and wildlife rescue teams continued to monitor the leopard overnight.

On Sunday morning, rescue teams successfully tranquilised the leopard and completed the rescue operation in the afternoon after nearly 21 hours. They then shifted the animal to the SGNP Leopard Rescue Centre at Yeoor in Borivali for treatment and further medical assessment.

Officials said the leopard, estimated to be four to five years old, suffered severe injuries to its paws, with bones exposed in some areas. The animal also had wounds on its body and tail, including a major wound on its right limb.

Veterinary teams are currently treating the leopard at the rescue centre, where officials will conduct a detailed medical assessment of its condition.

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