A black panther was hoisted out of a well in Yedapadavu, Karnataka, on March 31.

The 5-year-old leopard was seen sitting at the bottom of the well staring up at locals and officials from the forest department.

After three hours, the wild animal was lifted out of the well inside a cage.

The panther was examined before being released back into the wild.

A rare black panther was rescued by forest department officials after it fell into a well in southern India's Karnataka.

This incident happened in Gospel Sanila near Yedapadavu town, Mangalore on March 31.

Visuals showed the leopard sitting inside the well and staring upwards. The officials of the forest department, after a lot of hard work, were able to rescue the wild animal and bring it out of the well. It was then put into a cage. The big cat didn't seem to be in a good mood as it jumped about inside the cage and growled loudly after being captured. A huge crowd had gathered at the spot and they caught sight of the rare creature. According to a report, the leopard may have fallen into the well belonging Shakuntala Acharya on March 30.

The authorities were informed about the black panther, locally known as a leopard and the officials arrived in the area after receiving information. After three hours of working, the black panther was finally brought out of the well. It was learnt that the presence of the crowd in the area hampered the panther's rescue operation as the people gathered in numbers, attempting to catch a glimpse and also taking pictures. The animal is said to be around five years of age and will be examined before releasing it.