COIMBATORE: A four-year old leopardess which had been stranded in an abandoned warehouse at BK Pudur near Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore for the past five days, was caught in a trap on Saturday morning and released into the wild by forest officials.
The big cat, which had walked out of the trap thrice earlier without being caught, got trapped around midnight on Saturday, said forest staff of Madukkarai and Coimbatore forest ranges. After the animal entered the cage, the staff manually locked the door by operating a rope from a distance.
S Ramasubramanian, conservator of forest and Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) field director, said the animal was later released into the wild near Topslip at Ulanthy Forest Range in the tiger reserve.
Though unfed, leopard is healthy: Veterinarian
Coimbat ore forest veterinarian A Sukumar and veterinary assistant surgeon K Rajesh Kumar of Theppakkadu said the animal had no external injuries and was healthy though it did not have food or water after entering the warehouse in January 17.
"The animal can remain without food for more than two weeks and without water for 10 days. Though it did not take food for five days, the animal was healthy and active and was stress-free. The video shot by us while releasing it into the forest showed the animal was active. After it was caught, we fed it two kg of chicken and beef and 1.2 kg of cattle blood. We also gave water to ensure that the animal is not dehydrated," Sukumar said.
Ramasubramanian said they decided to release the animal near Topslip after considering the healthy prey base in the region. Based on the instruction of Principal Chief Conservator of forest and Chief Wildlife Warden Shekhar Kumar Neeraj, Coimbatore forest division officials have collected scat and hair of the leopard.
"This is being carried out as part of DNA profiling, and will be helpful in tracking the leopard in future," Ramasubramanian said, thanking the rescue team headed TK Ashok Kumar and police and fire services personnel.