Mumbai, July 25 (MD): The Thane Forest Department along with the leopard rescue team of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) continued their rescue operations on Thursday but the authorities were unable to trap the spotted feline that had entered a lab at IIT- Bombay in Powai on Wednesday morning.
A lab assistant working with IIT-Bombay who had gone to open the metallurgy lab at the IIT-Bombay campus got the shock of his life last morning when he saw a leopard hiding behind a generator. Scared, the assistant still had the presence of mind to down the shutter behind him before rushing off to inform the college authorities.
The SGNP and Thane Forest Department rescue team rushed to the spot and stated the rescue operations. The feline was finally traced late in the evening. FD officials said that the team had seen the leopard late last night and ensured that all the openings to the hall were closed so that the leopard couldn't escape.
What was more surprising was the fact that while the FD team and police officials were standing on the road outside the lab waiting for the leopard to walk into the cage that was set inside, another leopard crossed the road.
The leopard hadn't walked into the cage till morning 7 am. At around 11 am the operation re-started and the leopard was spotted inside the lab. On Thursday afternoon a small robot was sent inside the lab to spot the leopard. The forest department are doing the operation and have decided to use night vision cameras inside the lab to locate the animal.
“In the afternoon our team had located the animal but as the lab is big we are planning how we should trap the animal. Tranquilizing seems to be difficult as the hall is big. If the animal walks inside the cage then we will not have to put much efforts.” said a FD official.