New Delhi: A wedding venue at Lucknow’s Para area had an unusual and unexpected visitor: a leopard. And the ‘gatecrasher’ sent chill down the spine of all present at the wedding hall to celebrate the event. After a tense 200-minute rescue operation, a team from the Lucknow forest department, assisted by two veterinary doctors from Kanpur, tranquilised and captured the leopard, Times of India reported.
Earlier, panic gripped the guests when the big cat was sighted. The police evacuated the bride, groom and their families from the site. They heaved a sigh of relief after the leopard was captured and taken out of the venue. The wedding rituals continued and the panicky guests joined in the celebration once again.
How the rescue operation was carried out
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Sitanshu Pandey said that the rescued leopard, a healthy male weighing 80–90 kg, is believed to have strayed from the Kheri region. He pointed out that it will be relocated and released in a safer area with the chief warden’s permission. Two veterinary doctors, four tranquiliser experts, and 10 forest guards carried out the rescue operation. “We fired two tranquiliser darts, trapped the animal using a net, and secured it in a cage,” Pandey said.
Lot of risk was involved in the rescue operation. Around 11:40 pm, after getting an SOS from UP 112, the forest department swung into action and reached the venue. Officers took a lot of caution while entering the wedding hall, looking to locate the animal at the venue.
Upon reaching the second floor, the team discovered the leopard. As a forest guard Muqaddar Ali approached the big cat, it suddenly leapt at him, slashing his right hand and trying to snatch his gun. Despite the injury, the guard managed to fall back, while his colleagues controlled the situation and fired a tranquiliser dart. The animal was captured and Ali was rushed to a hospital.
STORY | Leopard gatecrashes Lucknow wedding, bride and groom remain stuck in car for hours
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How panic broke out
The leopard entered from behind a tent set up at the wedding venue. The guests initially thought it was a joke being played by someone. Some thought it was some stray animal. Panic erupted when the big cat charged at the crowd. People went hither and thither, while they made their way toward the exits. Due to the chaos, the leopard jumped onto the rooftop of the wedding hall.