West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) evacuated a black Javan leopard, or panther, from Cimalingping in Kasomalang district in Subang on Saturday after it became trapped inside a house.

Before the authorities came to the site, locals armed with sticks and machetes had tried to catch the critically endangered animal by themselves but to no avail.

The footage of the capture attempt had gone viral on the internet over the weekend.

Forest campaigner from the West Java branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Dedi Kurniawan said the animal was eventually cornered in a house. He suspected that the wild cat had been forced to roam the residential area because of habitat destruction.

Previously the panther is thought to have attacked a 60-year old resident, identified as Juju, in a narrow alley between two houses. Juju sustained a head injury in the attack.

The BKSDA, together with veterinarians from Bandung Zoo, anesthetized the big cat before taking it to the zoo for treatment. The authorities will release it back to the wild after ensuring its wellbeing.

A panther sleeps in a cage after being anesthetized following its capture in a West Java village on Saturday. Local authorities have taken the wild cat to Bandung Zoo for treatment before releasing it again into the wild (Photo courtesy of West Java BKSDA/File)

West Java region II BKSDA head Pupung Purnawan said the otherwise healthy panther suffered injuries to its right leg.

“Probably as a result of jumping over a fence,” he said, adding that he felt grateful that residents did not kill the protected species.

He said the panther might have come from nearby forests on Mount Tangkuban Parahu or Mt. Burangrang. The species is one of West Java’s most iconic fauna. (vny)