A seven-year-old female leopard was left fighting for her life after getting hit by a speeding vehicle on a highway in India on November 4.

The entire operation lasted over four hours after which the injured feline was taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for diagnosis and treatment.

The veterinarians found internal hemorrhaging, deep lacerations on the face, and wounds on the left front paw. After hours of administering medicines to help her system fight a crashing body, the leopard showed signs of progress and gradually started responding to medication. She is currently being kept under observation and will continue to be treated at the center till she completely recovers.

Dr. Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, “We had to exercise extreme caution in retrieving the leopard as the extent of her injuries were quite severe. The leopard is put on intravenous fluids along with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. We are doing our best to treat the animal however; the prognosis remains grave.”

A seven-year-old female leopard was left fighting for her life after getting hit by a speeding vehicle on the Ahmednagar-Kalyan highway near Pimpri, Maharashtra. The animal needed critical care and has been transferred to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre – run by Wildlife SOS in collaboration with the Forest Department in Junnar.

Roads running through animal corridors are increasing, and with that, so are cases of road accidents. Elephants falling prey to locomotives, leopards being run over by large vehicles – in areas bordering forests, accidents involving animal victims are steeply rising. Unfortunately, most of them receive insufficient or no care at all, leading to undocumented fatalities. In a similar event, a 7-year-old female leopard met with a terrible accident while crossing the Ahmednagar-Kalyan highway near Pimpri in Maharashtra, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Wildlife SOS received a call from the Forest department, informing them of the leopard lying in unresponsive condition on the side of the busy highway. It was bleeding profusely and had deep wounds on its body authorities feared that she was already dead. A team of five rescuers from the NGO accompanied the Forest department for the rescue operation. In the meantime, a huge crowd started swarming to the scene to catch a glimpse of the animal and take pictures of it on their cell phones. The forest officers immediately stepped up to ensure that the crowd was under control while Wildlife SOS senior veterinarian Dr Ajay Deshmukh, carefully sedated the leopard using tranquilizing equipment. The entire operation lasted over four hours after which the injured feline was taken to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre for diagnosis and treatment.

The veterinarians found internal hemorrhaging, deep lacerations on the face, and wounds on the left front paw. After hours of administering medicines to help her system fight a crashing body, the leopard showed signs of progress and gradually started responding to medication. She is currently being kept under observation and will continue to be treated at the centre till she completely recovers.

Dr Ajay Deshmukh, Senior Veterinarian at Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Centre said, “We had to exercise extreme caution in retrieving the leopard as the extent of her injuries were quite severe. The leopard is put on intravenous fluids along with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication. We are doing our best to treat the animal however; the prognosis remains grave.”