A wild leopard that strayed into the Mercedes-Benz manufacturing plant in Chakan, near Pune, has been safely captured after a tense two-day rescue operation involving forest officials, wildlife organisations, and police. CCTV footage captured on Saturday morning showed the leopard entering the company premises, apparently in search of prey. The animal subsequently became trapped inside a large shop floor within the manufacturing unit, causing considerable alarm among workers and management.
As a precautionary measure, the company halted all production activities for two days to ensure the safety of its employees. The sheer scale of the plant made locating the animal an exceptionally demanding task for rescue teams.
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After nearly two days of continuous effort, the leopard was successfully lured into a cage on Monday while it was searching for prey inside the unit. Forest officials confirmed the animal to be a healthy male, aged between three and a half and four years.
The rescue was carried out under the Forest Department's supervision, with teams from RESQ Charitable Trust and Wildlife SOS conducting an intensive search operation.
The leopard has since been transferred to the Manikdoh Rescue Centre. Employees and local residents expressed considerable relief following the successful operation.
The incident has renewed concerns about the increasing movement of wildlife into the rapidly expanding Chakan industrial belt, where leopard sightings have been reported at other facilities in recent weeks as well.
(With inputs from Avinash Pawar)
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