Inchara Udupi
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (EP)

Udupi, Jan 13: A leopard that was believed to be chasing a hen fell into a well and remained struggling for more than a day before it was rescued by the forest officials with the help of locals at Kuthyar Karmar Jiddu near Kaup here on Wednesday, January 13.

A basket was lowered by a rope into a well belonging to Girija Moolya, assuming that a small animal had fallen in it on Tuesday afternoon, January 12.

As the rope was lowered it was pulled by the animal and when people peeped in, they saw a leopard inside. They later informed the locals and the forest department officials.

The attempts by department officials from Shirva, Belman and Udupi who came on Tuesday afternoon did not yield fruit. Later they lowered a cage with a hen in it. As there was less water in the well, the leopard was resting in a small tunnel-like space in the well. In the morning, more water from another well was released into it, so as to increase the water level, and the leopard came to the surface.

As the hungry leopard entered the cage to eat the hen, the door of the cage was closed.

Finally, with the unceasing efforts of the locals, the cage was closed with a sheet and brought up.