Leopard falls into well in Kerala, dies soon after being pulled out in 8-hour-long rescue effort

However, the animal did not survive.The rescue operation which began around 10 am ended at 6 pm, he said.The big cat was in a weak condition after spending so much time in the well and was therefore being taken to the veterinary lab for treatment and observation, he said.

A leopard that had fallen into a 10-metre deep well in this northern Kerala district died on Wednesday soon after being pulled out following an eight-hour long rescue operation involving forest, fire force and police personnel.

An officer of Kannavam Forest Range said the leopard probably fell into the well on Tuesday night and local residents saw it there on Wednesday morning around 10 am.

The people living in the area alerted the police, and soon fire and rescue teams, forest guards and forest and wildlife protection officers reached the spot.

Officials from the Forest and Wildlife Protection Department in Wayanad district of the state also arrived by afternoon.

First the boundary wall of the well was demolished and then the water was drained out using a pump set, the forest official said. Thereafter, the leopard was captured in a net, pulled out halfway and injected with a sedative.

Once it became unconscious, it was pulled out from the well, transferred to a cage and sent to the veterinary lab of the forest department in Wayanad, the official said. However, the animal did not survive.

The rescue operation which began around 10 am ended at 6 pm, he said.

The big cat was in a weak condition after spending so much time in the well and was therefore being taken to the veterinary lab for treatment and observation, he said. But the animal soon died.

The area where the leopard was found is a densely populated area and the nearest forest is 15-20 kilometres away, the official said.

Earlier this year in April, a large bear which had fallen into a well in a residential area in Thiruvananthapuram district had drowned as it went under water after being tranquilised.