A leopard cub strayed into the district court complex in Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla on Tuesday and caused a stir in the parking lot, PTI reported. Police officials present at the site requested assistance from the forest department, who sent a team to Chakkar and rescued the animal.

Eyewitnesses said the rescue operation was a daunting one as the frightened cub changed its hiding spot from under one car in the parking lot to another. “We received a call from the police control room located at Mall Road about the presence of a leopard cub at Chakkar,” Range Forests Officer Himanshu told PTI. “The rescue team reached the spot and captured the cub using a net instead of a tranquiliser gun and took it to the rescue and rehabilitation centre in Tuti Kandi.”

The official said they suspect the cub was separated from its mother. A veterinarian will examine the animal at the centre before it is released into the wild, he said.

Photo credit: PTI