Leopard strays into house, rescued after hrs of tense ops

Raipur: Panic gripped a village in Chhattisgarh's Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district after a leopard strayed into a house and decorated itself on a rack like a soft-toy, in Khirki village under the Janakpur forest range, triggering a frantic rescue operation by the forest department.The incident occurred in a village located close to the Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve, where increasing movement of wild animals has emerged as a growing concern for residents. According to local inputs, the leopard entered the house of Harishchandra Yadav, and was found sitting inside, sending family members into a state of shock.As soon as the animal was spotted, those inside the house ran for safety, while other villagers too rushed out of their homes after news spread through the area. The sight of the leopard inside a residence created panic across the village.On receiving information, the forest department rushed to the spot with a rescue team and began cordoning off the area to avoid any untoward incident. Officials launched a rescue operation and, after several hours of effort, managed to safely bring the leopard out of the house.The situation was brought under control only after the animal was successfully rescued, but fear continued to linger in the village even afterwards.Residents have sought constant wildlife monitoring in the area and demanded early alerts from the forest department, saying the movement of wild animals has been rising in villages located near the reserve forest.Forest officials said the rescued leopard would be released in a safe forest area and assured villagers that patrolling in the region would be intensified.