Pune: Leopard Captured After 48-Hour Rescue Operation at Mercedes-Benz Plant in Chakan
Pune: Leopard Captured After 48-Hour Rescue Operation at Mercedes-Benz Plant in Chakan
Pune, May 12, 2026: A wave of sensation spread through the multinational Mercedes-Benz company in the jurisdiction of the Chakan Forest Range after a leopard entered the premises two days ago. CCTV footage from Saturday morning showed the leopard entering the company grounds in search of prey, causing widespread fear among employees. Unfortunately the animal found itself trapped in a large shop floor. As a precautionary measure, the company’s production house was completely shut down for the past two days.
Locating and capturing a leopard within a massive manufacturing unit like Mercedes-Benz proved to be an extremely challenging and difficult task. Due to the vast size of the plant, forest department officials had to exert significant effort to pinpoint the leopard’s hiding spot. The success of this rescue operation was the result of excellent coordination between the Junnar Forest Department, RESQ Charitable Trust & Wildlife SOS teams
Finally, today on May 11, 2026, after two days of tireless efforts, the hungry leopard was successfully trapped in a cage placed inside the manufacturing unit while searching for prey. The leopard is a fully grown male of 3.5 to 4 years old.
The Resque was successfully carried out under the guidance of Conservator of Forests Pune Ashish Thakare,
Deputy Conservator of Forests, Junnar Prashant Khade, Assistant Conservator of Forests Amrut Shinde by the team of Range Forest Officer Chakan Santosh Kank, Forester Indalkar, Jagtap, Pisal, and the entire Chakan Forest Department staff and Shri. Mahendra Dhore, Dr. Avinash Visalkar (Manikdoh Rescue Center); Nachiket Utpat, Kiran Rahalkar, Aejaj Shaikh, and the RESQ Charitable Trust team (Wildlife TTC, Bavdhan, Pune).
Besides Police Inspector Mr. Vijay Dhamale (Mhalunge Police Station); Mr. Sarang Joshi and Mr. Venkatesh Kulkarni (Head of Directors, Mercedes-Benz Administration).
After two days of intense tension, the capture of the leopard has brought a sigh of relief to the company employees and local residents, said Prashant Khade,
Dy. Conservator of Forests, Junnar Forest Division.
