Three people were mauled when a leopard entered school grounds in the Indian city of Bangalore, leading officials on an all-day mission to subdue the animal.
Surveillance video of the attack which happened on Sunday showed the big cat chasing terrified men around the school’s swimming pool, leaping on them and mauling them as they tried to escape.
The 6-year-old male leopard, suspected of straying onto the school grounds from a nearby forest, was eventually tranquilized and taken to a wildlife park for treatment.
Mr Ravi Ralph, the chief of wildlife services in the state where the incident occurred said an injured forest department official had been released from the hospital, while a wildlife scientist who suffered chipped bones in the attack was undergoing treatment.
It all started at about 4.15 a.m. on Sunday when a security guard at Vibgyor International School in the outskirts of Bangalore spotted the leopard. The animal was next spotted on surveillance camera about two hours later, but then vanished until mid-afternoon.
Officials were just about to call-off the search when they spotted the leopard at about 3:30 p.m. in a bush behind the school, before the leopard ran into the school where officials locked it inside a bathroom.
It managed to escape through a ventilation duct into the swimming pool complex, where the attacks took place on the men took place. Officials were finally able to manage the situation by striking the big cat down with a tranquilizer dart at about 6.30 p.m., but it did not take full effect until about 8.15 p.m.
There are an estimated 1,500 leopards were in Karnataka state (where it happened), but they rarely ever stray far into urban areas. India has about 12,000 to 14,000 leopards.
See Also: 10 Amazing Animal Facts (Leopard)
