Panic spread at the Sajjangarh Biological Park in Udaipur when a leopard escaped from its cage in the morning on Thursday, 9 February.. The animal was later captured after a long rescue operation conducted by the officials of the forest department.

The Leopard, weighing around 70 kg made its way through the narrow bars of the cage. It was only after a rescue operation, which lasted for more than 5 hours that the animal was finally captured. An intensive search operation was launched after the news of the leopard’s escape reached the officials. Upon receiving the information everyone at the biological park panicked. Later the leopard was shifted back to its captivity.

Forest Ranger Ganesh Lal Gothwal informed that it was around 9am on Thursday when the caretaker discovered that the leopard was not in its cage. He immediately raised an alarm and a rescue operation was launched based upon the paw marks.

Gothwal informed that it was a female Leopard that was rescued from the Dabok village near Udaipur Airport with injuries around 15 days back. She was transported to the Biological Park and was taken care off by the staff of the Park. On Thursday, she somehow managed to escape from her cage but luckily she could not make her way out of the Park’s compound. Though it took a long time to retrieve her, she was caught by the team, tranquilized and shifted back to her cage.

It could have turned out to a major incident and may have resulted in loss of life for the visitors as well as for the animal herself, had this escape taken place on a routine day.  As it turns out, 9 February was a state wide strike of the forest guards. Due to the strike the gates to the Biological Park were closed for visitors.