A leopard stuck in a gutter for eight hours was rescued in India.

The big cat wandered into a neighbourhood and was spotted by locals who cordoned off the area to keep it from escaping and attacking people in Maharashtra on December 13.

However, it tried to crawl through the drain before a team from Sanjay Gandhi National Park arrived to help.

Footage shows officers with residents helping to install a large cage where they lured the leopard into.

Another team was deployed to tranquilise the animal before it was finally taken into the cage and caught.

The park rangers took the leopard to their facility to check on its health, where it was found to be an eight-year-old male.

Nongovernment organisation Pet Animal Welfare Society or PAWS found Nilesh Bhange said the big cats are found in many areas in the district.

He said: 'There are many leopards, but due to rapid road construction work, including the Mumbai-Delhi Highway, green areas are being destroyed on a large scale, which might have caused it to get lost in search of food.'

The leopard remained in the care of the wildlife officials who will also facilitate its release.