Leopard triggers terror in Bhayander

Family injured; the animal caught after seven hours

Mumbai: A groggy Bhayander family had an unexpected guest for breakfast – a young male leopard – which created mayhem in their first floor flat, leaving at least five of the hosts injured, and triggering terror in the vicinity, police said.

A daylong drama started around 8 am when the adult feline sneaked into the flat, suspectedly from the balcony as the family was just preparing for their morning cuppa and other routine chores.

On suddenly seeing the big cat lurking around in their small flat in Parijat Society, the family started screaming for help and panic gripped the entire BP Talav Road locality in Bhayander east.

Neighbours in the building who got a glimpse of the leopard joined in the melee, some shouting in the corridors and stairwells at the uninvited jungle hunter in the densely populated areas.

As the news spread like wildfire, people quickly remained barred in their own homes and kept a close watch outside, all the shops in the neighbourhood downed shutters and pedestrians disappeared from the streets, shaken by the early morning

nightmare.

The Navghar Police, Bhayander Fire Brigade along with 10 experts from Thane Forest Department and NGO SARRP’s seven volunteers with Asif Patrawala rushed to the building. The police immediately cordoned off the surrounding lanes, threw nets on the building and asked residents not to venture outdoors during the massive rescue operation.

After nearly six tense hours the rescuers monitored the leopard’s movements inside the flat and the building, once it was sighted on the staircase and then below an air-conditioning unit, searching for an escape route out of the concrete jungle to the green forests, glaring at the rescue teams hovering around.

As the cat apparently quit the flat, the rescue teams managed to extricate a badly mauled woman from a window of the flat, and the rest were also taken out slowly. They were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment where their condition was described as ‘stable’.

Surgical Strike

Finally, after around 3 pm, after a long and tiring cat-and-mouse game, the big feline was finally targeted by a surgical strike – of a tranquiliser dart – and it fell unconscious. The rescue teams managed to drive the leopard into a flat in the same building. “The animal was eventually cornered and trapped inside a first floor flat in the building, preventing further harm to the residents. The entire building and the surrounding areas were cordoned off as a precautionary measure, and the residents were advised to remain indoors,” an official said.

The forest officials lifted it and shifted it to the Leopard Rescue Centre in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali, for treatment and rehab.

As the shaken and scared Bhayander residents started returning to normalcy by evening, forest department has promised to enhance surveillance in such vulnerable zones. Locals say that the forested area is several kms away and wondered how the adult leopard managed to reach the Parijat CHS undetected.

An official of Navghar Police Station told ‘The Perfect Voice’ that the police are recording the statements of the victims and details would be shared later.

“During the rescue operation, our teams closely monitored the situation on the ground and rescue support was kept on standby if required,” said Pawan Sharma from RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare), who is also an honorary wildlife warden.

Polls round the corner, rattled leaders demand action

Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Mira-Bhayander Narendra Mehta termed the incident as “extremely alarming” and shot of a letter to Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, seeking government aid for the medical treatment of all the injured and compensation.

He demanded stricter preventive measures, increased patrolling by the forest officials, and greater public awareness to prevent wild animals from entering thickly populated urban areas.

Shiv Sena Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik later told media-persons that the leopard was rescued safely while Municipal Commissioner Radhabinod Sharma said all the victims are receiving proper medical care.