Leopard tranquilised, rescued from tunnel on Pune airport premises

An adult male leopard, which had been moving intermittently within Pune Airport premises since late April, has been safely captured, forest officials said on Friday, December 12, 2025.

“The cat was captured following a multi-agency operation conducted by the Forest Department in collaboration with RESQ Charitable Trust, Indian Air Force and Pune Airport officials,” they said.

The big cat’s existence was first confirmed on April 28. On November 19, the leopard was seen once again. “The wild animal used an extensive network of underground tunnels, dense vegetation and areas with little footfall within the airport facilities to move in and out of the area,” forest officials said.

“Given the large and sensitive nature of the airport, trapping efforts posed challenges. Continuous monitoring was carried out using camera traps, live cameras and trap cages, but the leopard avoided entering the cages,” forest officials said in a statement.

On December 4, authorities were notified that the leopard had entered the underground tunnel network. The tunnel exits were later closed and more live security cameras were installed to track movement within the closed area.

In the statement, it was stated that a team of 30 people, consisting of forest department, RESQ foundation and Indian Air Force personnel, directed the leopard into a tunnel of approximately 25 meters. The leopard was later rescued by wildlife veterinarian Dr. It was stated that he was calmed down by Gourav Mangla.

“The leopard had damaged both live cameras and I had to get a clean shot from a very difficult angle in a narrow tunnel area. The successful dart was only possible when the teams calmly held their positions and executed the plan exactly as designed,” said Dr.

The leopard has since recovered and is currently kept at the Transit Treatment Center in Bavdhan, Pune for further observation and evaluation.

Pune District Deputy Conservator of Forests Mahadev Mohite said coordination between various agencies led to the capture of the big cat. Officials said that there were no injuries during the operation and airport operations continued without disruption.