Overview
- Local residents and Maharashtra State Security Corporation patrols first spotted the weak leopard in Mama Bhanja Hills and alerted Sanjay Gandhi National Park teams who were joined by the Thane Territorial Wing and volunteers from RAWW and WWA.
- Rescuers kept the animal under watch overnight after suspending attempts around midnight and then tranquillised and secured it at first light, completing the extraction after almost 21 hours of operations.
- Veterinary checks at the scene found severe trauma, including deep wounds across the paw pads with bone exposed and a major injury to the right hind limb, and officials estimate the male is about four to five years old.
- The leopard was transferred to the SGNP Leopard Rescue Centre in Yeoor, Borivali, where veterinary teams have begun intensive treatment and will carry out a full medical assessment to determine cause and prognosis.
- Officials say the case shows coordinated capacity between park staff, the forest department and volunteer groups for urban-edge wildlife emergencies and raises urgent questions about how the animal sustained such severe injuries.