A leopard was safely rescued after an intense eight-hour operation from a sweet shop in the Nani Daman area on Tuesday, forest officials said. Authorities were alerted around 11.30 am after the animal entered the shop, prompting immediate action by police and forest department teams, who sealed off the surrounding area.
Deputy Conservator of Forests Harshraj Wathore said the leopard was later located on a staircase on the third floor of the building. Rescue teams deployed tranquilliser guns, nets and a cage to capture the animal.
However, the leopard remained highly aggressive and made multiple attempts to attack personnel involved in the operation, officials said. During the rescue effort, one forest department staff member suffered minor injuries and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. His condition is reported to be stable.
Leopard Shifted To Safe Location
Given the complexity of the situation, assistance was sought from the Valsad Forest Department, and a specialised rapid response team from Dahanu in Maharashtra was called in. The leopard was eventually tranquilised and will be shifted to a secure location, which officials declined to disclose.
Senior district officials, including District Collector Saurabh Mishra, remained present at the site throughout the operation. Forest officials said the leopard had been spotted in urban parts of Daman over the past two days. On Monday night, it was seen near the Dhobi Talav area before entering the sweet shop the following morning.