A TERRIFIED young leopard which fell into a 60-feet-deep well had to endure three hours of dangling on a log before being dramatically rescued.
The three-year-old leopard let out screams of terror after falling down the 60-feet-deep well in a village in India.
The community rushed to the giant well and spent three hours trying to rescue the poor scared animal.
The panicked animal was hanging on for its life in the near-fatal fall.
Drowning leopard rescued from 60-feet deep well
The female leopard startled the nearby village in Maharashtra after its loud and panicked roars echoed from deep within the well.
A local farmer heard the roars early on Sunday morning and was shocked to see a leopard trapped and struggling to stay afloat inside the well.
The farmer grouped the whole community to help the leopard while the Wildlife SOS team from local Leopard Rescue Center and the Forest Department rushed to the scene.
Veterinarian Dr Ajay Deshmukh, who led the rescue operation, said: “The leopard was in a state of panic and had to be rescued immediately.”
The leopard was struggling to stay afloat on a log
The community tried to lower a box trap to save the tired and weary animal in an operation which lasted three hours.
Dr Deshmukh continued: “The team first lowered a platform into the well to give the leopard a chance to clamber out of the water onto a safe space before lowering a trapping cage.
“After conducting a thorough physical examination we concluded that it was healthy”
The animal was then set free back into a nearby forest.
After a physical examination, the leopard was released into its habitat
The leopard was in a state of panic and had to be rescued immediately
Animal activist Kartick Satyanarayan added: “It was a critical situation and we are extremely grateful to the forest department for their cooperation and for helping manage the crowd that had gathered to catch a glimpse of the trapped animal.
“Leopards are often spotted in this area, as there are several sugarcane fields that provide a safe cover to these animals.
“They go astray as they are struggling to find a foothold in the vanishing forests due to unwarranted invasion of their natural habitat.”
Forester, Ramesh Kharmale, said: “There are a large number of open wells in the area and most don’t have proper nets, increasing the risk of wild animals getting trapped inside them.”
The video comes just a week after another leopard wandered into a village but unfortunately in that incident, it was beaten to death.