A leopard clambered up a coconut tree to escape a pack of stray dogs at a village in North Goa but could not immediately get down, giving anxious moments for the local residents for a few hours, a senior forest official said on Monday.
The big cat strayed into Kulan-Savoiverem village, nearly 30 km from Panaji, on the intervening night of Saturday-Sunday and was soon chased by street dogs.The leopard climbed up a coconut tree to escape the canines but could not immediately come down, said the official.
A crowd of anxious villagers gathered around the tree, while more people arrived at the spot after the news spread. Many even tried to click the picture of the feline. Fearing untoward incidents, forest officials cordoned off the area. The official said they could not tranquilise the wild animal as it might have fallen off the tall tree and suffered fatal injuries.
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After clearing the spot, forest officials also retreated, hoping the animal would come down when everything fell quiet. “As expected, during the wee hours of Sunday, the leopard climbed down the tree and ventured into the forest,” the official added.
