Kolkata: An adult leopard was rescued from a well in the Darjeeling district’s Damragram village under Champasree Gram Panchayat on Monday morning.

The villagers spotted the leopard inside the dry well when they woke and immediately informed the Forest Department.

According to them, the animal may have strayed from a nearby forest and fallen into the well between 1.30 am and 2.30 am.

Forest officials began the rescue operation at around 8 am.

As the leopard appeared agitated, they used tranquilisers to subdue it before pulling it out.

The entire operation lasted over two hours.