Leopard strays into cowshed in Uttarakhand village, captured after hours of operation

New Tehri (Uttarakhand), Aug 25 (PTI) A leopard entered a cowshed in a village near Tehri in Uttarakhand on Sunday, triggering panic in the area, forest department officials said.

After several hours of effort, a team of the forest department trapped the 2-3-year-old animal in a cage, bringing relief to the local residents, they said.

Sub-Divisional Forest Officer (SDFO) Rashmi Dhyani and Ranger Ashish Dimri said at around 9.30 am, information was received about a leopard entering a cowshed in Pipli village and being locked inside by the locals.

A forest department team rushed to the spot where they were informed that when Geeta Negi, a resident of the village, sent her buffalo from the courtyard into the cowshed, it quickly ran out in a panic, the officials said.

When Negi went inside, she discovered a leopard had entered the cowshed. She quickly exited, shut the door, and informed the forest department, they added.

The team launched an operation to trap the big cat, and managed to capture it in several hours, the officials said.

After a health check-up, the animal would be released at the Chidiyapur Rescue Centre in Shyampur, located in Haridwar district, they said.

Ranger Dimri said there had been reports of a leopard prowling in New Tehri and its surrounding areas for several days, prompting the forest department team to conduct regular patrolling in the region.

He urged local residents to take precautions, remove bushes around their homes, and avoid allowing children and women to go outside alone in the dark. PTI DPT RPA