Watch: Karnataka vet performs daring rescue of leopard from a well | Azad Times

In a daring rescue operation in Karnataka’s Dakshina Kannada, a woman veterinarian from Chitte Pili Wildlife Rescue Center saved the life of a one-year-old leopard cub that had fallen into a deep well. The incident occurred on February 12, near a house in Niddodi, a village located approximately 35 kilometers from Mangaluru.

The leopard had been trapped in the well for over 36 hours before the forest department called in the help of the Chitte Pili wildlife rescue and research center. The forest department had tried unsuccessfully for two days to rescue the leopard using ladders and a cage, but the animal refused to come out. The leopard was hiding in a small space inside the well, making it difficult to get a clear image of the animal from above.

The team, led by veterinarians Dr Meghana Pemmaiah and Dr Yashaswi Naravi, arrived at the site around 10 am on Sunday morning. The cub was trapped in a space of the well where it had caved in, making it difficult to reach her. After trying to lure the cub with food and trying to send a cage down the well, they decided to try a more daring approach.

Dr Meghana Pemmaiah, sat inside a cage that was lowered into the well to rescue the leopard cub. She was armed with a dart gun filled with anesthetic and was accompanied by forest department personnel and local villagers. She loaded the injection and went for the first shot, aiming at the leopard cub. To her relief, the cub was sedated in the next 15 minutes. Dr Pemmaiah and the team then tried to haul the leopard into the cage. However, they were unable to do so, and a local youth climbed down to help them get the leopard into the cage.

After the cub was secured, both Dr Pemmaiah and the leopard were pulled out of the well in the same cage. It took four hours for the entire rescue operation to be completed. Once they reached the surface, the leopard cub was examined, and an anti-dart injection was given to help it regain consciousness. Dr Naravi said the leopard cub was in poor condition, starved and dehydrated, after being trapped in the well for nearly two days. After being given time to recover, the forest department released the cub into the forest.

Veterinarian rescues one-year-old leopard cub trapped in a well for 36 hours using anesthetics, in a daring two-hour operation in Dakshina Kannada district. pic.twitter.com/qklNzjUXDs

— Shivani Kava (@kavashivani) February 14, 2023