Sawt Falasteen - Leopard captured after wandering into Indonesian hotel

The big cat was spotted on Monday morning outside a guest room on the second floor of a hotel in Bandung, the capital of West Java, Indonesia's most populous province.

The hotel management alerted firefighters, who then contacted the local conservation agency about the sighting.

"We used a tranquiliser, and at around 10 am (0300 GMT) the leopard was taken out of the hotel," Agus Arianto, head of West Java's conservation agency, told AFP.

In late August, a leopard was reported to have escaped from a zoo located just five kilometres (three miles) from the hotel.

Agus said it would take time to determine whether the animal captured on Monday was the same one.

"Currently, the leopard is slowly regaining consciousness. It has started to growl," Agus said, adding that the animal would be taken to a conservation facility for observation.

Indonesia has seen other incidents involving escaped zoo animals in recent years.

In 2021, two Bengal tigers escaped from a zoo in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, after days of torrential rain created a hole near their enclosure.

A 47-year-old male zookeeper and several animals were found dead near the tiger cage.

One of the tigers was shot dead, while the other was captured alive.

Indonesia's zoos have long faced scrutiny, with some accused of animal cruelty and lax safety standards.

N.Awad--SF-PST