Leopard rescued from well in Kannur dies; cause of death is unclear

KANNUR: The leopard that was captured and moved to the cage in Peringathur has died. The cause of death is unclear. The leopard fell into the well in Peringathur in Kannur this morning. The leopard was taken out after some arduous work. Later, it was shifted to a cage prepared nearby. The leopard died shortly after it was moved into the cage. It is reported that the postmortem will be conducted in Wayanad tomorrow.

The leopard accidentally slipped into the well of a house that was under construction. The land was owned by Sudhi, an Aniyaram native. The incident happened at 10 am on Wednesday. To save the leopard from drowning, two and a half gallons of water was drained out from the well before the DFO ordered a tranquillizer dart to be shot. The tranquillizer dart was placed under the leadership of veterinary surgeon Ajesh Mohandas from Wayanad.

According to forest officials, the leopard may have crossed the river nearby to enter into the human habitat. The officials had earlier planned to transport the wild beast to Wayanad and release it into the lush jungle.