Leopard rescue op at Pune International Airport in final stage: Forest Dept.
The ongoing operation to capture the leopard that was spotted at Pune International Airport on April 28 is in its final stage, according to Tushar Chavan, deputy conservator of forests (wildlife), Pune. The officer remains optimistic about the animal's safe capture, despite a delay in the rescue operation.
'Due to security protocols, we are not in a position to share further details of the rescue operation. However, multiple efforts are being made to capture the leopard within the airport premises. The operation is nearing completion and we believe that we will capture the leopard in the next two days,' Chavan said.
A source informed Hindustan Times that the team has managed to restrict the movement of the leopard by cordoning off the area and that it hopes to capture the animal soon.
On April 28, a fully-grown male leopard was spotted at Pune International Airport (part of an airbase) at about 7 am after which it was sighted again at about 8 pm, resting on the runway and take-off site. The Pune Airport staff alerted the forest department about the presence of the wild animal following which the forest department immediately launched a search operation. Conducted jointly by a team of forest officials and members of the RESQ Charitable Trust (NGO), three trap cameras along with two cages were set up initially. The number of trap cameras was increased to nine within a week of the rescue operation. In the meantime, flight operations for both civilian and Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft remained unaffected.
Earlier, N R Praveen, chief conservator of forests, Pune forest department, told Hindustan Times that the department initially installed trap cages at various locations and that the leopard entered the cage/s on two occasions. On the first such occasion however, the door of the trap cage could not be closed due to lack of a pressure point. And on the second such occasion, the leopard managed to escape after grabbing the bait. 'All standard procedures are being followed during the search-and-capture operation. The department is also maintaining communication with the Air Force authorities regarding the same. We believe that the leopard has used the open drainage channel to enter the premises. The team is working on the ground and necessary actions are being taken after following the situation,' Praveen had earlier told Hindustan Times.
Following the launch of 'Operation Sindoor' by the Indian Armed Forces, the search-and-rescue operation was temporarily put on hold due to military tensions between India and Pakistan. Pune International Airport being part of an airbase was on high alert and because of security protocols, access to the base was restricted. The operation resumed on May 17 and has been intensified ever since. However, the department is finding it challenging to capture the leopard due to various reasons which the officers refuse to disclose at the moment.
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