Leopard captured after straying into Kashmir village
Srinagar: A leopard was today captured by the wildlife department after it ventured into a village in Pulwama district of south Kashmir, officials said. The leopard strayed into Rakh Pahoo village, apparently in search of food, sparking panic among the villagers who informed the wildlife department, the officials said. While being chased, the animal took shelter inside a house, where it was later tranquilised by a team of Wildlife officials. The leopard was later taken to a wildlife sanctuary and will be released into the wild shortly, the officials said. On February 23, a bear was trapped by a joint team of police and wildlife officials after it ventured into Uttersoo village in Anantnag district of south Kashmir and injured two persons. Last month, the residents of a village in Handwara area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district rescued a rare musk deer which had strayed into their village due to heavy snowfall. There has been spurt in the incidents of wild animals descending on inhabited areas from the forests over the past month owing to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches which caused shortage of food in the forest areas. — PTI
