Pune: A six-year-old female leopard was found with her left forelimb locked in the iron jaws of an illegal foothold trap hidden in a sugar cane field in Nangaon, Daund taluka, on Thursday morning.The incident was reported at 10am by the village sarpanch to range forest officer Rahul Kale. By 11am, Daund range forest staff and RESQ Charitable Trust’s local responders in the region reached the site, joined by a rapid response unit from Pune at 12.30pm.The leopard, which was visibly exhausted from struggling to free her limb from the trap, was immobilised and freed within an hour. “The limb was tightly constricted, with considerable trauma to the leg. Detailed radiographs will be conducted to assess the severity of injuries,” said Dr Kalyani Thakur, senior veterinarian, who led the on-site medical work. The leopard is currently under observation at the Wildlife Transit Treatment Centre in Bavdhan, Pune.This incident marks the third leopard in three years to be caught in such traps in Daund region. These traps, which are for hunting, are illegal but continue to surface in Daund’s farmlands, where sugar cane offers cover for both prey and predator.Mahadev Mohite, deputy conservator of forests (territorial), Pune division, strongly condemned the use of such devices. “Foothold traps are not only inhumane but strictly illegal under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. We urge local communities to report any such activities to the forest department so that immediate and appropriate action can be taken. An official investigation into the incident is underway, and we are committed to identifying individuals involved in this,” said Mohite.Tuhin Satarkar, director of wildlife management, RESQ Charitable Trust, said, “This rescue shows how well people can work together to save wildlife. Quick communication between village leaders, forest department staff, and our rescue teams made sure the leopard got help and care without any delay.”Conservationists said recurrence of such cases points to persistent threat in the sugar cane belt, where cultivated fields often overlap with the movement of corridors of big cats.
