Leopard strays into Haroli village, injures 6 before being captured

A leopard strayed into Karampur village of Haroli subdivision in Una district yesterday and injured six persons after a group of villagers attacked it. Forest Department officials tranquilised and captured the injured animal, which had taken refuge in an outhouse belonging to a local resident.

A video showing around 15 villagers wielding ‘lathis’ and agricultural instruments and trying to beat the leopard went viral on social media. The desperate cat could also be seen attacking some of the assailants before disappearing out of sight.

Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sushil Rana said that as soon as he received information about the incident, he, along with other officers and staff, rushed to Karampur village. The animal had taken refuge in an outhouse of the village. A veterinary doctor from the Monkey Sterlisation Centre located in Boul village of Una district also reached there, he added. A dart was fitted to the tranquiliser gun.

Rana said that since the leopard was hiding in a corner, it could be tranquilised in a few attempts. He added that upon inspection, it was found that it an adult leopard, aged around four or five years. It had a deep cut on one of its shoulders caused in an sickle (‘draat’) attack.

Rana said that the animal was caged and taken to the Boul facility of the Forest Department where its shoulder cut was stitched and antibiotics were administered. He added that it would be kept under observation for some days and would later be transported to the wildlife zoo at Gopalpur.

The DFO said that leopards were nocturnal creatures and generally avoid humans except when they sense danger. He added that a person pelted the animal with stones when it was first spotted in a sugarcane field. The animal attacked him and others in retaliation, he added.

Anil Kumar (36), Kuldeep Chand (46), Arjun Saini (62) Vijay Kumar (52), Suman, wife of Arjun Saini ((58), and Gaurav (25) were injured while others received minor injuries and were taken to the Haroli hospital. Anil Kumar, who was seriously injured, was referred to the Una district hospital.