Big cat’s rare rescue

CHANDIGARH: The rescue of a leopard marooned for 11 days in a narrow cable-carrying pipe underneath the runway at the IAF base outside Chandigarh is among the most challenging accomplishments in the annals of wildlife management. While the leopard refused to succumb to the most tempting baits placed in traps, the security considerations tied down the hands of wildlife officials engaged in the operation that went on 24x7.



The leopard was finally tranquilized on Thursday night after a two-day-long operation to manoeuvre it into a small patch of the 100-foot pipe, which had a diameter of just 3.5 feet. Cranes were used to lift the hatches opening into the pipe and iron grills placed to continuously \"squeeze in\" the leopard. With a blend of cajoling and threatening noises, the leopard\'s free run was progressively reduced by sandbagging and grilling the spaces in the pipe. Then a JCB machine broke down the lanter of the pipe, enabling two thin men to slip in. Finally, the leopard could be successfully tranquilized.



A fine male of about six years age, the leopard put up tremendous resistance, as the operation to squeeze it into \"a spot\" was underway. It was sent to the Chhatbir zoo after the rescue, where it recovered and even had its first meal of chicken on Friday. It is one of the few leopards rescued alive in the region.



A senior UT forests and wildlife official said, \"The hindrance was that the pipe carried a maze of the IAF communication and power cables. We couldn\'t fire when it was far away as the tranquilizing dart may have hit the wrong body part. The pipe was so narrow that it was difficult even for thin men to slide in deep.\'\'



The operation, conducted jointly by the UT, Chhatbir zoo and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, took off when the leopard was not lured by the live baits and meat placed at both ends of the pipe.


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