A leopard that injured five persons, including three women, in Kathmandu earlier this week was darted, captured and finally left in the wild Friday in the forests of Chitwan by wildlife officials, government sources said.

The leopard was darted near Kirtipur in the western suburbs of the capital. The leopard was darted and kept for one night at Jawalakhel Zoo before releasing it in the wild.

Zoo officials did not say why they decided to free the animal instead of keeping it in the zoo. One possible explanation is that the cat was not a man-eater.