A sub-adult female leopard, weighing approximately 27 kg, was reported stranded on a tree near Pavana Lake at around 8:00 AM. Prakash Shinde, Range Forest Officer, Vadgaon-Maval, promptly informed the RESQ Charitable Trust team. However, before their arrival, local residents had attempted to capture the leopard in an unsafe manner using ropes and nets, resulting in 6 people sustaining minor injuries.

“The leopard had climbed a tree for safety as maybe it was startled by something. Given time and space, it would have left on its own. However, when it descended, locals restrained it using ropes and nets, a dangerous method that could have harmed both the animal and the people involved,” explained ACF Mangesh Tatte Patil, Pune Forest Department.