India, Dec. 13 -- An adult male leopard, who had been giving the slip to authorities to frequently roam in the Pune airport area since April, was finally captured on Friday following an intensive eight-hour operation carried out jointly by the Pune forest department, RESQ Charitable Trust, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Pune Airport Authority. IAF also joined the operation as its campus is located nearby.

The leopard sighting in the airport area was first confirmed on April 28. Since then, the animal had been evading the authorities to intermittently enter and exit the restricted area by navigating an extensive network of underground tunnels, dense vegetation, and low-traffic zones.

The presence of Indian Air Force facilities nearby and th...