A stray leopard cub that had been prowling in the populated colonies of the Bajaj Nagar-AG Colony region here for the past couple of days was tranquilized and rescued from the Malviya National Institute of Technology (MNIT) campus on Tuesday after a three-hour operation.
The cub, aged 10-12 months, was observed moving in close circuit cameras in Bajaj Nagar-AG Colony, Sarswati Colony, and Anita Colony over the past 2-3 days, but could not be spotted or traced. This big cat from the Jhalana reserve was spotted in the MNIT campus on Tuesday morning, reports of which caused panic for a while among students.
After running helter-skelter for some time, the animal hides itself in the corner of a room in Vivekananda Lecture Theatre Complex (VLTC) of the institute. In the meantime, the Forest and Wildlife officials were informed of the sighting, and they rushed to the spot to rescue the cub.
The team led by veterinarian Dr Arvind Mathur and District Conservator of Forest Vijaypal Singh traced, tranquilised, netted, and then caged the leopard.
The big cat was later released in the Aamagarh forests along the city, official sources said.