A young male leopard that strayed into Chikali in the jurisdiction of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) was successfully rescued in a joint operation by NGO RESQ CT Wildlife Rescue Unit, Pune Forest Department, PCMC Fire Department and PCMC Police Department.

Around 6.30 am on Thursday, the Wildlife RESQ CT team received an alert from the Pune Forest Department about a leopard sighting in a wood storage shed in Chikali. They immediately dispatched one team for verification and assessment. “Upon arrival, we realised that the leopard had not entered the shed but had moved through a passage next to it,” said Nachiket Utpat, director, Wildlife Management, RESQ CT.