Skip to main content

When leopard 'inspected' Mercedes Benz production unit at Chakan near Pune

By Rosamma Thomas* 

A male leopard was found roaming the manufacturing unit of Mercedes Benz at Chakan, about 30 km from Pune in Maharashtra, on Monday morning. The Benz production facility is spread over 100 acres, and the cat was found by staff in the manufacturing unit. 
Security staff at the facility contacted the state forest department, which in turn roped in staff from Wildlife SOS, an NGO that has earlier offered assistance to the state government in rescuing wildlife straying into sugarcane fields or human habitations.
The Wildlife SOS team from the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre in Junnar near Pune rushed to the site. Two vets, Dr Nikhil Bangar and Dr Shubham Patil, were part of the four-member team from the NGO that helped locate the leopard and secure the area around it. The leopard was tranquilized from a safe distance and handed to the state forest department.
Kartick Satyanarayan, who founded NGO Wildlife SOS in 1998 to rescue wild animals in distress, said that with the loss of their habitats, leopards are being forced to venture into areas with human habitation. This particular leopard was estimated to be about three years old, and appeared healthy. Yogesh Mahajan, range forest officer, Chakan, said the animal was being kept under observation and would soon be released into the wild.
---
*Freelance journalist based in Kerala 

Comments

TRENDING

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Beyond data: The economist who refused to remain in the ivory tower

By Vikas Meshram   There are few people who are born into privilege yet choose to dedicate their lives to the cause of the poor. Jean Drèze is one such individual. Born on January 22, 1959, in Leuven, Belgium, into the family of a distinguished economist, Drèze has become one of the most influential voices in the study of poverty, inequality, and social policy in India. Having lived in India since 1979, he adopted Indian citizenship in 2002 and has since played a pivotal role in shaping some of the country's most important welfare initiatives.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah  Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".