3-year-old leopard saved from jaw trap in Pune

The trapped leopard. Pic courtesy/ Ranjeet Jadhav

A three-year-old leopard, trapped in a jaw trap at Shirur, Pune, was rescued by the Wildlife SOS and the state forest department recently.

Jaw traps are hunting device that can cause severe lacerations, fractures and even death to wild animals.

Earlier this week, the Wildlife SOS team based out of the Leopard Rescue Centre, Junnar, received a call from the Maharashtra forest department about a female leopard caught in a jaw trap at a sugarcane field in Kuruli village, Shirur division, Pune, said a forest official.

A four-member team from the NGO geared up with safety nets, tranquilising equipment and protective gear to assist the forest department in the rescue operation.

The animal's left forelimb was caught in the jaw trap. The rescue team set up safety nets around the field and Wildlife SOS team successfully immobilized the big cat by giving it a sedative injection. The trap was carefully removed from the paw and topical treatment for external injuries was conducted on-site.

The leopard was identified as female, approximately three years old. The animal was immediately transferred to the Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar for a detailed examination.

"Farmers often set up such traps around agricultural fields to prevent animals such as wild boars from raiding their crops. Unfortunately, bigger animals such as leopards and hyenas also end up falling victim to these deadly traps. There is an urgent need to educate the public about the illegality of such offences," said Manohar Ramdev Mhasekar, range forest officer, Shirur.

Dr Nikhil Bangar, veterinary officer, Wildlife SOS, said, "The leopard was in immense pain and any further delay would have caused severe damage to the forelimb. We disinfected the wound and are currently administering topical treatment along with analgesics and anti-inflammatory medication."

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said, "Timely intervention has helped save the animal's life. The threat of jaw traps and snares is very real. Despite being illegal and banned, they continue to be used for trapping or killing wild animals."

The Indian leopard, which is listed as ‘vulnerable' under the IUCN Red List, has an estimated figure of 12,000-14,000 only.