Leopard wanders through shopping mall, hotel

Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Wildlife authorities in India captured a leopard that wandered into a populated area and climbed a wall into a shopping mall.

Officials with the Forest Department said the leopard is believed to have scaled a perimeter wall into the Korum Mall in Thane and was seen leaving the shopping center about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday.

The Forest Department and local authorities responded to the area and tracked the leopard as it made its way toward the nearby Vasant Vihar residential area.

The leopard was found in the basement of the nearby Hotel Satkar Residency at Cadbury Junction in Thane.

"The leopard which was spotted moving towards the Vasant Vihar residential area in Thane was trapped by forest department in the basement of Satkar hotel. The leopard entered from the hotel's rear entrance and was spotted by a member of the hotel's security team," a Vartak Nagar police official told the Hindustan Times.

The leopard was tranquilized and removed from the area about 11:30 a.m., police said.