A leopard had entered a sweet shop in the Union Territory of Daman on Tuesday morning, triggering a nearly 10-hour operation involving local forest staff, police and specialised teams.
During a tense, hours-long rescue operation in Daman, forest officials found the leopard perched on a staircase on the third floor of a market building, where it repeatedly lunged at rescuers despite the use of tranquillising guns, nets and a trap cage.
The forest department received information around 11.30AM that the leopard had strayed into the sweet shop. Police and forest personnel rushed to the spot, evacuated nearby buildings and cordoned off the area to prevent civilian movement, Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Harshraj Wathore told reporters on Tuesday evening.
Teams deployed tranquillising guns, nets and a cage, but the leopard remained aggressive and alert, attempting to attack forest personnel several times, Wathore said.
The situation turned more serious when a forest department staff member sustained minor injuries during one such attempt.
He was immediately taken to hospital in an ambulance, and his condition is stable.
Given the risks involved, the Daman forest department alerted neighbouring divisions in Gujarat’s Valsad and Surat, and also called for assistance from a rapid rescue team based in Dahanu, Maharashtra.
Senior officials, including District Collector Saurabh Mishra, were present at the site as the operation continued into the evening.
Officials said the leopard had been moving through Daman’s urban areas for at least two days before entering the sweet shop.
On Monday night, it was spotted near Dhobi Talav, prompting increased surveillance and patrols in surrounding localities.
Harshraj, Deputy Conservator of Forest, also told ANI, “Over the past few days, we've been tracking a leopard moving through the urban areas of Daman. To locate and safely capture it, we placed camera traps at multiple sites and set up cages. Last night, we detected its activity near the Dhobi Talab area, so we secured the vicinity and conducted patrols throughout the night.”
The Dahanu team eventually darted the leopard, after which it was placed in a trap cage.
Officials said the animal will be relocated and released in a safe forest area away from human habitation.