UP: Ghaziabad school closed after leopard spotted, rescue underway

Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 25 (ANI): A leopard was spotted at the Green Field School in the Govindpuram area of Ghaziabad on Wednesday, prompting the forest department to cordon off the entire school area and deploy a tranquilization team to safely capture the animal.
The forest department arrived at the school early in the morning after being alerted by the school authorities.
Speaking to ANI, Divisional Forest Officer Isha Tiwari said that the school authority called them around 7:50 am in the morning after spotting the leopard on their security cameras.
"The school authority called us around 7:50 in the morning. They shared a video from the outer security camera, showing an animal coming and going. It appears to be a leopard. After spotting the leopard, our team arrived at 8:30 in the morning," the official said.
The DFO said that the visibility has been an issue since the team arrived at the premises, making it difficult to locate the exact position of the leopard. The school has been closed since morning as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of students and staff.
The tranquilization team, equipped with specialised equipment and trained personnel, is expected to arrive to carry out the safe capture and relocation of the leopard. The operation is being conducted with extreme caution to avoid any harm to both the animal and humans in the vicinity.
The Forest Department is closely monitoring the situation and has urged residents in the surrounding area to remain cautious and avoid approaching the school premises until the leopard is safely captured. (ANI)