Efforts are still underway to safely rescue the big cat, official said. (Representational)
A leopard entered the Jollygrant Airport premises in Rishikesh on Tuesday creating a scare among the airport staff.
A CISF jawan at the airport spotted a wild animal jumping over the boundary walls into the premises and hiding itself in a pipe near the new terminal building on Tuesday morning, Jollygrant Airport Director G K Gautam said.
Though the big cat could not immediately be identified because of the distance, the airport authorities informed the Thano range of Dehradun forest division about the incident.
The pipe was shut on either side to ensure that the wild animal does not come out. However, flight operations remained unaffected at the airport which is surrounded by reserve forest areas on three sides, Gautam said.
Subsequently, when the pipe was drilled to rescue the animal, it was identified as a young leopard, Sub Divisional Forest Officer GS Martolia said.
Efforts are still underway to safely rescue the big cat, he said.
Wild animals like leopards, wolves and jackals have been rescued at the airport in the past as well.
The Jollygrant Airport is surrounded by reserve forests where wild animals roam around freely.