Leopard hiding in house captured after 12-hour operation

An eight-year-old leopard, which attacked five persons and camped inside a house, was captured after a 12-hour operation in Chhotaudepur district of Gujarat, a forest department official said Thursday.

The leopard attacked three residents of Moti Sadhli village, including two women, before entering the first floor of a house on July 13, said Nilesh Pandya, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DFO) at Chhotaudepur.

The wild animal later injured two forest department officials, including Pandya, during the rescue operation.

The feline strayed into the village, around 120km from Vadodra, early in the morning and camped inside the house.

On learning about the attack on villagers, a team of the forest department reached the spot.

However, the initial efforts to bring the leopard out of the house failed, Pandya said.

Additional personnel were pressed into the operation and dart guns were used to tranquilise the wild animal, the forest department officer said.

"We had to use twodart guns and a non-lethal air gun for tranquilising the leopard, which was captured after a 12- hour operation," he said.