Lucknow: A wedding in Lucknow’s Para area turned into a night of panic when a leopard strayed into the venue, causing guests to flee in terror. The dramatic incident led to a 200-minute-long rescue operation by the forest department, assisted by veterinary experts from Kanpur.
The leopard was eventually tranquilised and captured, allowing the wedding celebrations to resume. The bride, groom and their families were quickly evacuated by police as forest officials worked to subdue the wild animal. Once the leopard was safely secured, guests cheered in relief, applauding the quick response of authorities. According to a TOI report, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sitanshu Pandey said that the captured leopard, a healthy male weighing around 80–90 kg, may have wandered from the Kheri region. “With the chief warden’s approval, it will be relocated to a safer environment,” he said.
#Leopard at a marriage lawns #Lucknow #Uttar pic.twitter.com/rT203Xwx0T
— Sandeep Saxena (@sandeep662003) February 12, 2025
Daring night time rescue
The rescue team included two veterinarians, four tranquiliser specialists and ten forest guards. “We fired two tranquilizer darts, trapped the animal using a net, and caged it,” Pandey added. The mission was not without risks. Around 11:40 pm, after an emergency call to UP 112, forest officials arrived at the scene. They found the leopard hiding on the second floor behind broken furniture.
#Lucknow के MP Lawn Buddhweshwar में घुसा तेंदुआ… पकड़ने आई पुलिस पर भी मारा ऐसा झपट्टा, हाथ छूट गई बंदूक…. उल्टे पैर दौड़ पड़े पुलिसकर्मी… एक घायल…
रेस्क्यू करने की कोशिशें जारीं…#LucknowVideo #ViralLeopardVideo #viralvideo pic.twitter.com/IK8Be8Q19U
— Kuldeep Panwar (@Sports_Kuldeep) February 12, 2025
As forest guard Muqaddar Ali approached, the leopard lunged, injuring his right hand. Despite his wound, Ali managed to withdraw while his team fired a tranquilizer dart. “It happened in an instant—the leopard was silent until it felt cornered,” an official said. Ali received first aid before being taken to a hospital. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) Vishwajeet Srivastava confirmed that the wedding of Akshay Srivastava and Jyoti Kumari descended into chaos when the leopard appeared from behind a tent.
Chaos and quick capture
Guests initially mistook it for a prank or a stray dog, but as it moved closer, panic ensued. In the rush to escape, two cameramen were injured. The leopard then leaped onto the rooftop, making the rescue more challenging. Due to the coordinated efforts of the police and forest department, the leopard was successfully captured and will be relocated to a safer habitat.
