By MAIL FOREIGN SERVICE

The leopard attacks a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara in north-east India


This is the horrifying moment a fully grown leopard pounces on a forestry department official in a village in deepest India.

The big cat mauled six people after straying into the village from a nearby national park and becoming startled by curious humans.

The forest guards eventually managed to corner and successfully tranquilise the beast but not before it attacked one of their own men.


Villagers can only watch in horror as the leopard which mauled a number of people lands on a forest guard


These pictures show the amazing scene as it unfolded in Prakash Nagar village, near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri, in Assam, north-east India.

Perched on corrugated rooftops and walls, the villagers watch the action in a mixture of horror and excitement.

The village, which is surrounded by national parks and is , sits in the slim section of India between Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

Leopards are occasional visitors to town - but happily there was a happy ending as the leopard eventually slipped into unconsciousness in an alleyway after a forest guard managed to connect with a dart.


The guards eventually get the beast under control and tranquilise it. It then makes its way to an alley before falling into unconsciousness



Villagers grab a rooftop view to watch the excitement unfold in Prakash Nagar village


source: dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Well spotted: The Wildlife Conservation Society's cameras snapped secretive snow leopards across the mountains of Afghanistan


Despite a savage war being fought there, Afghanistan is home to a healthy population of snow leopards, a wildlife group has discovered.

The big cats are among the most elusive animals on earth and their numbers are threatened, but the World Conservation Society has documented a relatively large number of the predators in the war-torn country using camera traps.

The usually solitary animals have been snapped at 16 locations across the Wakhan Corridor, a long panhandle in north-eastern Afghanistan free from the insurgency that plagues most of the country, the campaign group said today.

Snow joke: These leopards keep warm in cold climates thanks to their thick fur coats


Only some 4,500 to 7,500 snow leopards live across a dozen nations in the high mountain ranges of Central Asia, usually at altitudes between 9,800 and 18,000 feet.

The cats are poached for their pelts and killed by shepherds guarding their flocks upon which the leopards sometimes prey.

The sleek, fuzzy-tailed leopards are also captured for the pet trade, while an increasing demand for their penises and bones in China, where some believe they enhance sexual performance, has also led to their decimation.

‘This is a wonderful discovery. It shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan. Now our goal is to ensure that these magnificent animals have a secure future as part of Afghanistan's natural heritage,’ Peter Zahler, the World Conservation Society's deputy Asia director, said in the

Cat's amazing: The snow leopards have adapted to live at very high altitudes and are very secretive

Rock on: This snow leopard was filmed getting up close and personal with a huge boulder

Paws for thought: Sadly, these magnificent animals are poached for the distinctive fur coats


The New York-based group has been working in the Wakhan Corridor, which borders China, Pakistan and Tajikistan, since 2006 on protecting wildlife including the Marco Polo sheep and the ibex.

George Schaller, a wildlife biologist with the society, has proposed creating a reserve in the region.

The statement did not estimate the number of leopards in the corridor, but said the species remained threatened.

The society, which works with the U.S. government's aid arm, USAID, is providing conservation education in every Wakhan school, has trained 59 rangers to monitor wildlife, constructed predator-proof livestock corrals and started an insurance scheme to compensate shepherds for livestock taken by predators.


source:dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


Close and personal: The baby leopard leapt up to the roof of the Jeep, shocking photographer Sergey Ivanov, 50


This big cat is definitely ready for his close up, as he leaps up on to the top of a Jeep, where a wildlife photographer gets the shock of his life while trying to capture the leopard.

Sergey Ivanov, 50, was petrified as the beast jumped up for a close encounter while he was on safari in Namibia, near the Botswana border, along with his friend Sergey Kotelnikov, who had originally pointed out the animal.

As the pair stopped to take a closer look, they both hauled themselves on to the roofs of their respective Jeeps, so as to gain a fantastic photographic position.

Here, kitty kitty: The photographer recoils as the big cat jumps five-metres to reach the roof


And as both amateur photographers whipped out their cameras to begin snapping the baby leopard - it slowly crawled towards them.

But, completely out of the blue, the female leopard amazingly leapt over five feet on to the roof of the Jeep Mr Kotelnikov was perched upon.

Staring the cat in the eye, Mr Kotelnikov's face dropped with sheer panic as the cat lunges towards him.

Shock: The Russian photographer has a panic as the leopard jumps up on to his Jeep


But luckily it is only interested in having its picture taken up close and personal and calmly sits in front of the Russian photographer.

Mr Ivanov, who took the incredible pictures from an adjacent Jeep, said: 'Me and my close friend Sergey were on a photo-safari in Africa and were "shooting" big cats in a private park in Namibia not far from Botswana border.

'We both suddenly spotted a baby leopard hiding in the long grass at the side of the dirt track. We watched as it slowly crept up to us, thinking we couldn't see it, and waited for the best shot.

'Unfortunately, Sergey was struggling with his camera as the leopard was too close to him. So as he was blind to what the Leopard was doing he didn't see it get right up close to his van.

'The it just leaped on to the roof - you can clearly see how he felt by his facial expression!'

Yikes! The leopard then set upon Ivanov's bag and refused to let go


Part-time Russian wildlife photographer Mr Ivanov, from the city of Kirov, who ventured to the wilds of Africa last year, added: "It was amazing - we never thought this small leopard could jump on to the roof of the car.

'My friend was scared. I was frightened too even though I was on the roof of the other car as you expect it to begin attacking.

'But we soon relaxed as we understood that this big kitten was just playing.'

After realising the leopard was harmless, the pair jumped down from their vehicles and begin interacting with the playful the animal.

But, as the little leopard took a shine to Mr Kotelnikov - whom it had earlier scared - the cheeky kitten jumped on to his bag and smashes his camera into pieces.

The 44-year-old, from Kirov in Russia, said: 'I wasn't really upset - as this was the last day of our safari!

'And the joy of getting so close to a wild animal made up for all the sorrow I felt about my broken camera.

'The leopard did leave me with small bruises on my hands and face from where it kept jumping up on me.

'They are strong animals even at that age.'

Popular: Tourist from all over the world travel to Namibia to enjoy safari trips


source:dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Deadly: The boy had a lucky escape at Sedgwick County Zoo after this leopard clawed him


A boy on a school field trip to a zoo was mauled by a leopard yesterday after he scaled a railing and approached the animal's cage, a zoo spokesman said.

The Wichita Eagle reported on its website that the boy received lacerations to his head and neck after the cat stuck a paw through its cage and grabbed him by the side of the head. He was taken to a hospital, where he’s said to be in a fair condition.

Jim Marlett, spokesman for the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, said the boy climbed the four-foot (1.2-metre) railing surrounding the leopard exhibit, crossed an eight-foot (2.4-metre) gap and stood next to the metal mesh fence of the animal's cage.


Warning: The leopard's enclosure at the zoo, which advises visitors to keep at a safe distance


Naomi Robinson, who was at the zoo with her two children when she saw the attack around 1:20pm, said it looked like the leopard was trying to pull the boy into the enclosure.

‘It happened so quick,’ she said.

The boy began screaming as soon as the leopard grabbed him. A man and woman nearby jumped over the railing and ran to help him, Robinson said.


Injury: The boy was taken away by this ambulance to hospital, where he remains in a good condition


he cat let loose of the boy when the man kicked it in the head, Robinson said.

Bystanders wrapped the boy's head in shirts and towels to stop the bleeding as he lay on the ground between the fence and leopard case.

‘It was terrible,’ Robinson said. ‘I'm really shaken right now. I'm just glad my children didn't see it. They were looking the other way.’

A Wichita School District spokeswoman told The Associated Press that counsellors were sent to the zoo to talk with children who saw the attack.


Animal magic: The hippo enclosure at Sedgwick County Zoo


Leopards are enormously powerful and in the wild often drag their prey into trees after they’ve killed them. In fact, they often spy their prey from lofty branches, their spotted coats enabling them to blend into the leaves.


source: dailymail

By Daily Mail Reporter


In the meerkat for a tasty snack: This leopard confounded a safari guide with his unusual stance


A safari guide thought he was seeing things when he caught a glimpse of this extremely rare sight.

A big cat had been stalking a warthog and when his prey disappeared into some particularly long grass he was forced to stretch himself to his full height like a meerkat on watch.

Every few minutes the leopard would balance expertly on his hind legs to keep track of his tasty prey.


The bizarre spectacle was caught on camera by 27-year-old Letsogile Kamogelo at Savuti Camp in the Linyanti Game Reserve, Botswana.

Mr Kamogelo, who works as a safari guide, said he had never heard of a leopard behaving in such a way.

He explained: 'This leopard had spotted a warthog from a distance and stalked it for almost an hour.


'He kept a reasonable distance from his prey but he lost sight of the warthog when it went in to tall grass.

'That's when he stood on his hind legs to try and catch sight of it.

'He lifted himself up for at least 45 seconds to a minute at a time. I don't think he was comfortable holding the position for any longer.

'He was very careful whenever he stood up because he didn't want to fall on his back.

'This is a very unusual behaviour and I have never heard or read about it before.

'There is a lot of animal behaviour that has not been recorded and it is mostly influenced by the type of terrain.

'The animal has to respond to the changes within its environment and it may display unusual behaviour like this.

'I've had a great response to the picture. It surprises a lot of people - including those who have been guiding for many years.'



source:dailymail