Leopard enters Mangalore, injures five

The coastal town of Mangalore had a rare visitor in the form of a leopard that had strayed into a nursing institute at Kankanady area from the adjoining forests.

The leopard was first spotted at the Colaco Institute of Nursing, where it was hiding near the elevator. Shocked by the presence of a big cat in the Nursing Institute, the locals raised a hue and cry, leading to commotion. In the melee, the leopard attacked five people, who suffered injuries and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The panic-stricken leopard soon raced out of the Nursing Institute and took shelter in a nearby shed. A large number of people, who had gathered at the spot to catch a glimpse of the rare visitor, sealed the shed and summoned the police and forest department officials.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forests Anita Arekal, the forest department personnel fired two tranquilizers at the animal, but in vain. “The first could not penetrate the skin and the second missed the target and hit the wall”, she said.

Attempts to overpower the leopard by using water canons too failed. “We called a fire tender and released water into the shed. But, that did not work”, she said. Finally, after seven hours of operation, the forest department personnel drilled a hole in the wall and fired the third tranquilizer shot, which found its mark. “The leopard was finally captured alive and sent to Pilikula Zoo. The leopard was spotted around 2 pm on Sunday and by the time it was captured it was 8 pm”, Arekal said.

A large crowd of people, who had gathered to witness the operation, made the task of police and forest department staff even more difficult. The police had to resort to caning the crowd to keep them at bay.
Arekal said the leopard could have strayed into Mangalore town from the nearby Kuthethur forest area. “There are many hyenas and leopards in the area. This one might have lost its way looking for food”, Arekal said.