Leopard rescue operation hampered by cramped space and huge crowds

BIG CAT CROSSED KMS OF DENSE HUMAN HABITATION

- Pradeep Gupta

Kalyan: The operation to rescue the leopard that had entered a Kalyan building was hampered by huge crowds that had gathered outside. The cat was first spotted walking across the street in Hanuman Nagar around 5.30am, locals claimed. Some said it had walked past a few buildings in their locality but, at that point, no one was sure it was a leopard or “something that looked like a leopard”.

After some sight-seeing, the spotted cat strolled down Chinchpada around 8am when it ran into curious stares and panic-stricken humans. The leopard mauled a resident of a chawl, Mahohar Gaikwad. The sight unnerved Rajiv Pandey, who was standing at the entrance of Sriram Anugraha Towers, a 5-storey building, with his 2year-old daughter in his arms. A frozen Pandey tightened his embrace around the infant and was ready to scoot when the cat lunged towards him. The baby is safe, but Pandey sustained minor injuries to the head and hand, and has been hospitalised. As he bolted, the leopard, also seemingly in panic, waddled into the building.