A panther that strayed into a residential area here Thursday causing a scare was caught by forest officials after a three-hour-long drama.
Though the animal caused no harm to anybody, the incident spread panic in the posh Jubliee Hills area on the city's outskirts.
The forest department and Nehru Zoological Park personnel fired three tranquilizers to catch the animal after it was trapped in the servants' quarter of a house. The animal was then shifted to the zoo for treatment.
The posh neighbourhood, the abode of many film personalities, witnessed a strange spectacle as hundreds of people gathered on the streets.
Officials could not say from where the panther had strayed into Jubliee Hills because other residential areas and villages surround it.
It was around 10 a.m. that some people saw the panther in the vicinity of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan school.
As they ran for cover, the animal entered a house. On hearing their cries, the inmates locked themselves in and fled to the top floor of the two-storey house.
"I was washing clothes when I saw the panther in the bushes. I was terrified," said Lokeshwari. She then saw the animal entering a house.
Police and forest officials rushed to the area and started searching for the panther. Using loudhailers, the police advised people to remain indoors and keep their doors and windows locked. The inmates of the house where the leopard was hiding were advised not to be scared.
When police fired a few rounds, the animal ran into another house that was under construction. Police had a tough time in keeping the curious crowds and scores of media personnel at bay.
The forest officials then fired a tranquillizer but it missed the target. The animal went into a third house. More forest officials armed with tranquillizers and equipment descended on the scene.
After cordoning off the area, forest department officials led by T. Srinivas, the curator of the zoo, fired three tranquillizers at the animal. After being hit by the first two tranquillizers, the leopard tried to pounce on the policemen.
Deputy Commissioner of Police N. Sanjay then fired three rounds from his 9 mm pistol to scare off the animal.
Amidst this drama there were protests from some animal lovers.
"Don't kill the poor animal. Don't kill it", screamed a landlady, Mukti. She wanted the authorities to catch it alive.
"The animal is not injured. We fired only to scare it", the police official clarified.
After the panther became unconscious, the forest department personnel shifted him into a cage and took him to the zoo for treatment.