Leopard tranquilised, rescued from tunnel on Pune airport premises
Pune (PTI): A male adult leopard that had been intermittently moving within the Pune Airport premises since late April has been darted and captured safely, forest officials said on Friday.
The feline was captured following a multi-agency operation led by the Forest Department, in collaboration with RESQ Charitable Trust, the Indian Air Force and Pune Airport authorities, they said.
The presence of the big cat was first confirmed on April 28. On November 19, the leopard was spotted once again.
Forest officials said the wild animal utilised an extensive network of underground tunnels, dense vegetation and low-footfall zones within the airport premises to move in and out of the area.
Given the vast and sensitive nature of the airport landscape, capture efforts posed challenges. Continuous monitoring was undertaken using camera traps, live cameras and trap cages, though the leopard avoided entering cages, officials said in a release.
On December 4, officials were informed that the leopard had entered the underground tunnel network. Tunnel exits were then closed and more live surveillance cameras were installed to track its movement within the confined space.
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A 30-member team comprising personnel from the Forest Department, RESQ trust and the Indian Air Force guided the leopard into an approximately 80-foot-long tunnel, the release said. The leopard was then tranquilised by wildlife veterinarian Dr Gourav Mangla, it said.
“The leopard had damaged both live cameras, and I had to take a clean shot from a very difficult angle in a confined tunnel space. The successful darting was possible only because the teams held their positions calmly and executed the plan exactly as designed,” said Dr Mangla.
The leopard has since recovered and is currently housed at the Transit Treatment Centre at Bavdhan, Pune, for further observation and assessment.
Mahadev Mohite, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Pune Division, said coordination among the various agencies led to the capture of the big cat. Officials said no human injuries occurred during the operation and that airport operations continued without disruption.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
