Akola Faces Wildlife Drama: False Leopard Alert, Porcupine Chase

Akola experienced a day marked by two distinct wildlife incidents, causing brief unease among residents. The morning began with a reported leopard sighting in New Tapadia Nagar, which fueled rapid local spread and drew crowds. However, Forest Department officials investigated and confirmed the alarm to be incorrect, advising against circulating unverified information. The situation shifted to genuine concern around midday at Nutan Hindi High School in Deshmukh Fail, where a porcupine was discovered near classrooms, alarming students. A Forest Department rescue team was dispatched with nets, but the porcupine demonstrated remarkable evasion skills, breaching the nets twice. Its escape routes led through a drainage channel and into the Shivaji College campus, prolonging the chase and causing further panic among onlookers.

The third attempt at capture finally succeeded within the Shivaji College grounds, where the porcupine was safely contained in a cage. This operation involved a dedicated team led by RFO Vishwas Thorat and several other wildlife protectors. One rescuer notably entered a drainage channel to help corner the animal. The rescued porcupine is scheduled for a veterinary examination before its release into a suitable forest habitat. Fortunately, neither the false leopard alarm nor the porcupine encounter resulted in any reported injuries to people or the animal.