Forest officials rescued a 7-year-old leopard that had fallen into a 50-feet-deep well in the west-central Indian state of Maharashtra on Monday.<br /><br />According to local media, residents of the Pimpalgaon Rotha village heard panicked roars echoing from deep within the open well at around 9 am. Seeing that the leopard was drowning in the waist-deep water, they alerted officials who turned to a wildlife SOS team for help.<br /><br />While waiting for the team to arrive, officials first lowered a platform into the well so that the terrified leopard could clamber onto the makeshift platform for temporary support. Later, the wildlife SOS team drifted a trap cage in the well with the open door angled towards the leopard. The animal jumped into the cage and was quickly lifted out of the well.<br /><br />Dr. Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said after a thorough physical examination that the leopard was healthy and fit for release.
