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Monday, Jan 08, 2007
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A wild cat in the neighbourhood

Manas Dasgupta

Leopard strays into residential colony in Vadodara

— Photo: PTI

CORNERED: The leopard that was trapped in the bathroom of a house in Vadodara on Sunday .

AHMEDABAD: Residents of Amitnagar housing society at Karelibagh in Vadodara city had an unexpected visitor on Sunday morning — an eight-foot-long leopard. According to Prabal Sen, the leopard kept strolling from one bungalow to another. Many residents locked themselves in and cautioned the others. The leopard, however, did not try to break into any house or attack anybody. After a few hours the animal entered a bathroom, apparently to drink water, in a bungalow owned by Viren Sukhadia.

Probably because of its size and the narrow bathroom entrance, somehow the bathroom door closed behind the animal, and some residents immediately bolted the door. The desperate animal, in its attempt to escape, hurt itself on the head.

Forest and zoo department officials then reached the scene with tranquilliser guns and other equipment. Range forest officer Pravin Pradhan said first three tranquilliser shots fired on the animal through the side-grills proved ineffective but after the fourth it became unconscious. They then put the animal in a cage and took it to the Kamatibagh zoo in the city for treatment. Mr. Pradhan estimated the leopard to be three and half years old. He said it might have strayed in from the forests along the Vishwamitri River where a few such animals had been sighted in the past.

He said the leopard would be kept under observation for at least three days. After full treatment it might be released in the Jambughoda range forests.

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