Leopard Attack Injures Forest Guards During Rescue

In Pauri, Uttarakhand, two forest guards sustained injuries to their arms and neck when a leopard attacked them during a rescue operation on Thursday morning. The animal had been trapped in a chicken coop, and the team administered a tranquilizer. However, the rescue was complicated by a crowd of villagers, which delayed the operation. This delay proved critical as the sedative began to wear off, allowing the leopard to become aggressive.

Forest personnel took approximately 30 minutes to persuade the anxious villagers to step back. By the time the rescue team could secure the animal inside the enclosure, the leopard had regained consciousness and attacked. The injured guards were transported to a local hospital for treatment and were discharged in stable condition.

The leopard was safely recaptured later that afternoon after officials waited about four hours, adhering to wildlife medical protocols, before administering a second sedative dose. The animal is currently undergoing a medical examination. Officials will decide its fate—release into the wild or relocation to a rescue center—considering local safety and animal welfare, especially as a leopard was trapped in the same coop three months prior.