Several injured after leopard strays into Indian village

Several injured after leopard strays into Indian village

2011-07-21 05:11:52 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI (BNO NEWS) -- A leopard was killed after it strayed into an Indian village in West Bengal and severely injured several policemen and forest guards when they tried to tranquilize it, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The leopard strayed into a village near Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district on Tuesday, injuring three policemen and five villagers. Forest Department officials said the leopard must have come either from the Baikunthapur range or the Mahananda reserve forest.

"It was spotted near a house in the morning by villagers who raised an alarm, and this startled the leopard. With the villagers trying to chase it, it tried to flee and injured five villagers in the process. Then, the leopard took shelter in an abandoned house," Kanchan Banerjee, forest ranger of the Sukna Wildlife Range, told The Hindu on the phone.

"The animal pounced upon a forest guard when he tried to tranquilize it at the house, injuring him critically. The leopard fled from the site and took shelter in the bushes at the end of the village. Around 5.30 p.m., the forest guards were able to locate it, and as they were approaching the spot in an open-hood vehicle, the leopard pounced on them," Banerjee added.

Policeman used batons and knives to save their colleagues, injuring the leopard. The forest guards succeeded in tranquilizing it, but the leopard later died after it was taken to a veterinary centre.

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