With clinical precision, a young leopard was safely rescued on the premises of Mysuru zoo after it strayed into the premises recently, triggering panic in the city’s popular tourist destination. The animal was later released into the wild.
Taking it as a case in point, Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK) is mulling over sharing its expertise on rescuing and capturing wild animals with mini-zoos located across the State in a bid to help the teams lend a helping hand when coming across such cases in other parts of the State.
Besides sharing its skills , Mysuru zoo, which has many experienced animal keepers who are adept in identifying animal behaviours and acting accordingly, will keep the directors and forest officers working at the mini-zoos updated on various issues for addressing man-animal conflicts.
“The recent leopard rescue shows the zoo’s strengths in successfully handling rescue operations. The animal was caught unharmed — thanks to the coordinated efforts of the zoo vets and keepers. If we share knowledge and protocols, it will be useful in handling such situations in future at ease,” senior IFS officer and Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests B.P. Ravi, who is the member secretary of ZAK, told The Hindu . He said the team executed the operation meticulously causing no commotion in the campus. Diverting the attention of the big cat by keeping a dog, getting a ladder from the fire department for approaching the animal, wearing helmets by the rescue team for protecting themselves from attack, and so on are the examples of the skills gained over the years, Mr. Ravi added.
The zoo had recently organised a workshop for the directors, staff, range forest officers, watchers, and guards working at the mini-zoos on a range of issues, including man-animal conflicts.
“With the zoo in its 125th year, we have thought of preparing rapid response animal rescue kits comprising tranquilizer guns, drugs, and other essentials. A live demonstration to these staff on the rescue operation will be given,” Mr. Ravi said, adding that each kit is expected to cost ₹5-6 lakh. Mr. Ravi said the zoo would like to impart rescue skills, especially administering tranquilizer darts, to a local veterinarian on these issues so that he or she can respond in such situations before a trained vet, including from the zoo, arrives to the spot.