A leopard that strayed into a village in northern India's Rajasthan on December 30 gripped the local population with fear and had to be rescued by wildlife officials.

Footage shows the planning and preparation behind the rescue where officials on rooftops acted as reconnaissance as the leopard had to be tranquilised, then carried to safety.

The whole operation took around five hours and five attempts.

Once finally rescued the big cat was taken to Jhalana Nursery for immediate medical attention. 

A leopard strayed onto a populated residential area of northern India’s Rajasthan on December 30. The incident took place in the Ramnagar area of Jagatpura town in Jaipur. 

Visuals witnessing the incident feature the rescue team carrying the tranquilized big cat to safety. Panic ensues among the onlookers as they gather on their rooftops to behold the experience.

A set of officials also attempt to check on the leopard by poking some bushes with a long pole. Then, the officials drag the tranquilized big cat out of the bushes and carry it to the forest department vehicle. 

The leopard was rescued after a hard toil of five hours by a team led by Chief Wildlife Warden Mohan Lal Meena and the Divisional Forest Officer Upkar Borana.

The wild cat was rushed to Jhalana Nursery for immediate medical attention. 

The forest department officials had a tough time rescuing the leopard since it had smartly hidden inside some bushes. It was successfully tranquilized after four failed attempts and was taken to safety.