Leopard rescued from hunter’s trap near Chhattisgarh-Odisha border

A leopard caught in a hunter’s trap in a remote area near Kokodi village, located at the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, was rescued by forest officials after struggling for several days. 

The incident came to light when Gopal Kashyap, Sub-Divisional Forest Officer of Udanti-Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, Chhattisgarh, visited the area for an inspection and learned from locals that the leopard had been caught in the trap for almost seven days.

Acting swiftly, Kashyap, along with a rescue team, reached the site and freed the leopard. The injured animal was then shifted to the sanctuary’s wildlife veterinary team for treatment. 

Officials said the tiger had multiple injuries around its neck, some of which were several days old, making it an easy target for hunters in the area.

Speaking about the rescue, the DFO of Udanti-Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary Barun Jain said, “The animal has many injuries around its neck and some injuries were 6–7 days old. Because of that, it became easy prey for a hunter in a small village. We rescued it and today at 4 am, we shifted it to Jungle Safari Hospital; it is under treatment.”

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The forest department has urged locals to remain vigilant and report any incidents of poaching or animal traps to prevent further human-animal conflict and ensure the safety of wildlife in the sanctuary.