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News of production breaks are more frequent these days. The chip shortage is impacting vehicle assembly, forcing automakers to discontinue some assembly lines or adapt cars with fewer electronically controlled features. The latest factory to temporarily suspend operations is the Mercedes-Benz line in Chakan, India.
However, the discontinuation was not due to a chip shortage or slow sales. The reason is probably a first for Mercedes-Benz or most automakers. A leopard broke into the facility and roamed around for several hours. Understandably, it caused some alarm for employees, but at least they didn’t take matters into their own hands.
The Chakan SOS Department of Forestry and Wildlife led the rescue of the missing and frightened leopard around the factory. The team eventually found him in the vicinity of the manufacturing unit and living near a pile of boxes and pallets. After staying for quite some time, the leopard was appeased from a safe distance and rushed out of the factory.
According to Wildlife SOS, the leopard is male and about three years old. It took about four hours to complete the rescue, and plant operations stopped for about six hours. The young leopard is currently under medical supervision before being released into the wild.
While headlines like this one attract attention, they also reflect the loss of wildlife habitat. According to Wildlife SOS, a possible factor in the leopards heading to the factory was because the adjacent area was surrounded by patches of forest. The organization added that the leopard may have come from the area. Also, the Mercedes-Benz assembly line is in Maharashtra and has one of the highest population densities of leopards in the world.
Therefore, there is a possibility that something similar could happen again. Fortunately, the incident ended with both humans and animals emerging unscathed and unharmed.
The Mercedes-Benz factory in India assembles models such as the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class and CLA Coupé. It also launched the GLA, GLC, GLE, and GLS crossovers. The same factory has been exporting GLC to the US since 2018.
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