5 errors that helped him break free

The blow-by-blow account of the dramatic escape from Bannerghatta National Park of the spotted cat that strayed into Vibgyor High off Varthur Road last SundayThough the centre has specified parameters pertaining to leopard cages, authorities had kept it in a tiger enclosure where the space earmarked for the animal is larger. The leopard took advantage of the wide gap in the squeeze cage and succeeded in escaping.A 5kg stone placed on a window sill acts as a control mechanism to open and close the door of the cage. It was no match for the leopard. With the agile leopard jumping up to 10ft and striking the rod (that connects the pulley), the stone gave away and door went up.Since leopards are good climbers, standard practice for open enclosures is to install a parasol roof that acts like a protective sheet to prevent leopards from jumping out. The tiger enclosure did not have such a roof. The tiger enclosure had a tree that helped the leopard.While the SOP calls for collaring of leopards that are rescued or captured, this leopard was not collared. Santosh Kumar, Executive Director, BBP said “The leopard was under medical observation and was not collared. There was no plan of releasing it into the wild.”From the time it was captured, the forest officials presumed the animal weak. “It was hardly consuming 100 grams of food for the first two days and later it started eating 4kg of chicken. It had glaucoma and even lost a canine, it did not appear adventurous,” said a senior officer.