DHENKANAL: A five-year-old male leopard, trapped in a snare laid by poachers at Asanbahal forest in Mahabirod range was rescued by forest officials on Thursday.
The animal, which had no injury marks on its body, was sent to Nandankanan zoological park in Bhubaneswar. Forest officials said the Leopard was sighted in Mahabirod range and was trapped in a snare laid by poachers to hunt wild animals.
Forest ranger Haresh Kisan said an elephant squad patrolling in the area spotted the leopard and informed DFO Sumit Kar who summoned experts from Kapilash and Keonjhar to rescue the the animal. Veterinarians and biologists first tranquilised the animal and got it freed from the wire trap. They checked the leopard and found no injury marks on it. Kisan said a probe has been started to nab those who laid the trap in the forest. However, no case has yet been registered by the Forest department, he said.