Woman injured as leopard paws through safari bus window in Bannerghatta park

A woman was injured after a leopard allegedly tried to attack her through the mesh window of a safari bus in Bannerghatta National Park here on Thursday, officials said.

The woman identified as Vahitha Banu (56), was immediately given first aid and later shifted to a private hospital for further treatment.

The incident occurred at around 1 pm during a leopard safari trip, they said.

A video of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows the leopard climbing on to the safari bus and pawing through the window in an attempt to attack the woman.

According to officials, the safari buses in the park are fitted with metal wire mesh on their windows and openings to prevent animals from coming into direct contact with visitors, and that the leopard's paw had reached through a small gap in the mesh.

“The woman received scratch injuries to her hand and was given first aid. She was shifted to a private hospital for treatment and is stated to be doing fine,” an official said.

According to an official statement, all the safari drivers were warned about a previous leopard attack and were instructed to follow precautionary safety measures during the leopard safari.

"However, the authorities are reviewing the incident and non-AC bus safari will be stopped indefinitely till further communication and the buses will be assessed for complete safety during the downtime. Inconvenience caused to visitors is regretted," it added.