Leopard sparks panic in Shadnagar

Hyderabad: A leopard strayed into a residential area at Patel Road in Shadnagar and created panic among the residents on Monday morning.

When the locals saw the leopard hiding on the roof of a house owned by Vijay Kumar, they informed police and the cops further alerted the Forest department officials.

As the news spread to the nearby areas, residents in large number gathered near the house and climbed onto rooftops of houses and buildings to have a glimpse of the leopard.

After cordoning off up to 100 metres area, police took up the rescue operation with the help of officials from Shadnagar forest range and Zoo Park authorities.

After rushing to the spot, Zoo Park team headed by Dr M A Hakeem tranquilised the leopard which was sleeping below the staircase in the house.

After darting, the animal went into the kitchen room and sat down calmly before it got sedated. As the animal strayed into the residential area, the rescue team secured the surrounding area with a net and later it was carried to the cage and shifted to Nehru Zoological Park in Bahadurpura, Hyderabad for observation as per the instructions of the senior officials of the Forest department.

Zoo Park officials said that the leopard is male, and its age is about 5 to 6 years. The overall condition of the animal is stable and will be kept under the observation of veterinary doctors for the next 48 hours.

During the rescue operation, a constable by name Laxman from Shadnagar police station was injured. As he received claw injuries on his shoulder and other parts, he was shifted to a nearby private hospital for treatment. Officials said for the first time a leopard was spotted at Shadnagar.

Earlier, the leopards found in different parts of Maheshwaram and Manchal of Rangareddy district where they attacked cows, goats and sheep.