Leopard in Mercedes-Benz Chakan plant caught after 72-hour operation

Pune: A leopard that had strayed into the workshop premises of the Mercedes-Benz Group plant in Chakan was safely trapped by the Junnar forest division on Monday evening after an intensive three-day operation.Forest officials said the animal was first spotted by the company's security personnel in the early hours of May 9 inside the sprawling industrial campus. The sighting immediately alerted employees and the management, following which the Chakan forest range office was informed.The forest department deployed teams on the premises and installed five trap cages at strategic locations across the plant to prevent the leopard from venturing into nearby industrial or residential areas.The operation ended successfully around 7.30pm on Monday when the leopard entered one of the cages placed near the workshop area."We do not know how the animal survived inside the company premises for the last 72 hours, but it may have been desperately trying to come out in search of food," Suresh Kank, range forest officer of the Chakan range, told TOI."We had placed bait inside the cage. In search of food, the animal entered the cage and got trapped," he added.Officials said the leopard did not attack anyone during its stay inside the facility. The trapping operation was carried out cautiously to avoid panic among workers and ensure the safety of both the animal and people.Forest officials suspect the leopard may have entered the industrial zone from nearby sugar cane fields or fragmented forest patches in the region, areas that frequently witness leopard movement due to rapid urbanisation and habitat disturbance.The Chakan industrial belt, on the outskirts of Pune, has seen a rise in wildlife movement incidents in recent years as expanding infrastructure and industrial activity increasingly overlap with traditional animal corridors."The trapped leopard has been taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre, where a medical exam will be conducted as per forest department guidelines," said Smita Rajhans, assistant conservator of forests.Statement issued by the forest department, as a precautionary measure, the company's production house was completely shut down for the past 2 days. However, there was no official statement from the automobile company on the matter at the time of publication.