Rajasthan: Leopard spotted at Ghosunda dam, flees before rescue

UDAIPUR: Panic prevailed in Ghosunda dam area, some 18km from Chittorgarh district headquarters, on Friday when a leopard happened to enter the premises in search of water.
The leopard was startled at the sight of dam staff and tried to hide itself behind pillars and structures and before the rescue team could tranquilize the wild cat, it vanished into the forest area.
The leopard was spotted by workers who were terrorised to see the animal near the gate.The staff informed the rescue team and kept a watch on the cat until forest officials arrived. Meanwhile, the wild cat, too, was alarmed to see men and hear noises that made it restless. Teams from the district administration too arrived. The rescue team waited for the leopard to settle and planned to tranquilize it. However, the leopard kept moving and finally it leaped upwards and found its way into the jungle.
The dam staff said the scarcity of water in nearby areas and drying up of water holes are the reasons that wild animals are forced to come in human settlements in search of water. They said there are chances of the leopard reappearing in the area and hence demanded the forest department to place a cage to trap the animal.