Nagpur: Commuters and Metro staff witnessed an unusual rescue operation on Friday morning when a porcupine was found running along the elevated Nagpur Metro track between Congress Nagar and Ajni stations. The sighting prompted an urgent call to the Forest Department and a dramatic chase that lasted nearly an hour.

Metro authorities alerted the Forest Department’s Transit Treatment Centre after spotting the animal on the rails. Forest guard Sudhakar Marskolhe quickly reached the site with team members Bandu Mankar, Chetan Barskar and driver Swapnil Bhure, while Metro staffer Dilesh Meshram and his crew joined the operation.

The rescue required halting Metro services multiple times as the team boarded trains and pursued the porcupine along the slippery, rain-soaked track. Moss-covered surfaces made the effort even riskier. During the chase, Metro employee Dilesh Meshram slipped on the moss, sustaining injuries to his hand, leg and back, and damaging his mobile phone. He was admitted to a hospital and is undergoing treatment.

Despite the animal’s sharp quills and the challenging conditions, the team safely captured the exhausted porcupine. A veterinary examination confirmed it was unharmed, though tired from the chase. After a brief recovery period, it will be released back into the forest.

Forest officials are investigating how the porcupine managed to climb to the elevated track, calling the incident another example of the unexpected wildlife encounters faced in urban areas.