A female leopard stuck in a clutch wire snare in Dehradun was rescued by the Forest Department and later released in the jungle on Wednesday. The ensnared leopardess was first spotted by locals near farmland in Badsi village of Thano range in Dehradun forest division. On being informed about this, the Forest Department personnel reached the site and after some effort succeeded in tranquilising and rescuing the big cat. Talking to The Pioneer, the Dehradun divisional forest officer PK Patro said that the leopardess aged about three years did not sustain any serious injury from being snared.
“The big cat got ensnared in a clutch wire snare placed along a farm fencing. We will definitely investigate this case further. The rescued leopardess was later released in the jungles of Badkot range,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that clutch wire snares are often placed around farms in order to snare wild boars that raid farms. However, a range of wildlife including deer and leopards are often caught in such snares.