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Leopard causes panic in Medak, injures seven

The village is located less than a km from a reserved forest

Hyderabad: A leopard that wandered into a hut in Kulcharam village in Medak district on Tuesday, injured seven people after residents threw stones at it to drive it away.

Three of the injured had to be admitted to the Fever Hospital in Nallakunta, Hyderabad, due to deep wounds caused by the leopard’s claws. The other four were admitted to the Medak area hospital with minor injuries.

All were given anti-rabies injections. Forest officials reached the village at around 1 pm. Till then most of the villagers had remained indoors. Once the officials arrived, people came out of their houses and also climbed the roofs of houses surrounding the hut in which the leopard was holed up.

A forest department official said that this was the first leopard-human conflict in Kulcharam village in the past few years. The village is located less than a km from a reserved forest from where the leopard had strayed. Leopards frequently stray into human habitations in Medak district.

Animal was four-year-old male

The leopard that was caught in Medak district was a four-year-old male. One of the forest department officials said, “We first ensured that all the escape routes around the hut were closed after which we burst firecrackers outside the hut in which the leopard had entered.

When the leopard came out, our men, who were standing atop nearby buildings, trapped it with nets. While catching the leopard was not difficult, handling the curious crowd became a difficult task.” He added, “After the leopard was trapped we threw another net over it just to be sure that it would not escape and injure anyone.

A veterinary doctor from Hyderabad zoo, who was hiding close by, tranquillised the leopard using a blowpipe. The tranquillised leopard was checked for injuries, especially its claws and teeth. It was found to be healthy after which it was relocated to the forest.”

( Source : deccan chronicle )
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