Drowning leopard rescued from reservoir in India

An adult male leopard that had fallen into a reservoir in eastern India was rescued by forest rangers on Wednesday with the help of a net.



Dozens of workers at the Hansqua Tea Estate near Siliguri in the eastern state of West Bengal gathered around the reservoir to watch as the big cat, submerged neck-deep in water, tried to climb out of the reservoir tank.

The Forest Ranger and Game Warden, alerted by the estate manager, laid down a net to help the trapped predator escape.


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"When we came to work, we were told that there was a leopard here. Lots of people gathered to see it," said tea garden worker Mantu Baraik. "The police came first and the forest officials followed. They put up a net and helped the leopard escape." A loud cheer broke out when the leopard successfully gained foothold and clambered to safety.

There are more photos here.