Gujarat :Paralysed leopard recovers after specialised treatment at GEER Foundation

GANDHINAGAR: A leopard left paralysed after a devastating road accident has defied the odds, regaining its ability to stand and walk following months of specialised veterinary treatment and rehabilitation at the GEER Foundation in Gandhinagar.

The leopard was critically injured on January 19, 2026, after being hit by a vehicle on the Kheracha-Khodambha Highway near Shamlaji in Aravalli district. Forest officials rescued the animal and shifted it for treatment before referring it to the Gujarat Ecological Education and Research (GEER) Foundation for advanced wildlife care.

Forest and Environment Minister Arjun Modhwadia congratulated the GEER Foundation team for successfully rescuing, treating and rehabilitating the leopard.

B.P. Pati, Director of GEER Foundation, said the animal’s condition was extremely serious when it arrived.

“The leopard was completely paralysed in both hind limbs, could not stand and had to drag its hindquarters using its forelimbs. Given the severity of the neurological injury, it required advanced investigation and specialised wildlife veterinary care,” Pati said.

Radiographic examination at the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Rajpur, Himatnagar, revealed a traumatic lumbosacral fracture-subluxation at the L7-S1 region, explaining the severe paralysis. The leopard also suffered a serious lower-jaw injury, soft-tissue damage and oral infection that initially made eating and drinking difficult.

After being shifted to Indroda Nature Park, the animal was admitted to GEER Foundation’s veterinary hospital and placed in a specially designed treatment enclosure to minimise stress and prevent further spinal injury.

Amit Naik, Deputy Director of GEER Foundation, said the team relied on controlled movement, postural management, nutritional support and daily treatment.

“Within three days, the leopard voluntarily began taking food and water. By the fifth day, it was passing urine and faeces normally. Within about 20 days, it began raising its body with its forelimbs,” Naik said.

The recovery continued steadily. Around the 40th day, the leopard could stand on all four limbs. By about two months, it began walking inside the enclosure, and approximately two months and 15 days after the accident, it had regained a natural posture and normal gait.

However, slight postural deviation and tail drooping remain. Authorities therefore decided that releasing the leopard into the wild could put it at risk because of potential difficulties in hunting, movement and territorial defence.

The leopard will instead remain at Indroda Nature Park, where it can live in a naturalistic environment under professional supervision.

GEER Foundation’s veterinary hospital is also being expanded with a modern facility featuring digital radiography, ultrasonography, an operation theatre, ICU, pathology laboratory, neonatal care and rehabilitation facilities.

The veterinary team has undertaken more than 10 wildlife rescue, emergency treatment and rehabilitation operations across Gujarat in 2026, reinforcing the state’s growing wildlife healthcare infrastructure.