Wildlife Department officials caught a leopard on the loose in Tangnar Hayatpora area of Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
The wild cat, which had taken shelter atop a poplar tree some 150 metres tall, was caught by a rescue team of around a dozen officials at around 2:30 am last night, Block Officer of the Wildlife Department for Chadoora, Bashir Ahmad said.
Bashir said that tranquilizing the leopard at the top of the tree from the ground was particularly challenging prompting them to spread nets using nearby trees in the area and wait for the wild animal to climb down the tree.
According to Bashir, it was the 8th leopard to be rescued in the past four months in the central Kashmir district.
He attributed the frequent appearance of the animals to the dense nurseries in the area which act as a safe haven for the big cats which keep coming into the nearby human habitations.
Kashmir valley has been witnessing frequent human-animal conflicts lately which at times have led to loss of human life and livestock.