Five injured in leopard attack

 A two-year-old female leopard strayed into Belatturu village in HD Kote taluk in Mysore district and attacked five persons in the early hours on Tuesday.

Krishna (40), Venkataiah (60), Akkamanamma (48), Somaiah (60) and Rani (35) have been seriously injured.

Four-year-old Dhanush Raj rushed into the compound screaming, when he spotted the leopard near his house in the morning.

Even before his grandmother Akkamanamma tried to take him inside the house, the wild cat attacked her from behind, injuring her on the abdomen. The leopard followed her to the hall. However, Akkamanamma was successful in closing the door of the hall.

The leopard then gained entry into her neighbour B M Ramu’s house through an open window and the onlookers alerted Rani, who was cleaning the courtyard. Rani rushed inside to rescue her daughter and her 15-days old infant, but the leopard attacked her feet and thighs. However, Rani escaped along with her daughter and grandchild and locked the main door of the house.

The Forest Department officials comprising Antarasanthe Zonal Forest Officer A T Poovaiah and staff rushed to the spot. Just then, an irate mob pelted them with stones, leaving them seriously injured. Poovaiah and the staff were rushed to a hospital.

The remaining staff tried to get closer to the cat by removing the tiles from the roof of the house. However, the leopard escaped from the house and began attacking the onlookers and hid itself in a brick kiln and later retreated into a bathroom.
The doctors administered tranquiliser and the cat was captured in a cage and later released into the forests. In-charge Conservator of Forests of  Project Tiger Belliappa also visited the spot.