In a frightening incident was captured on camera as a leopard attacked a bicycle on a highway travelling through the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
The clip, which was captured by the CCTV cameras installed by the Kaziranga National Park Authority.
The incident took place at Haldibari Animal Corridor on 19 January, 2022. The biker was riding calmly on the National Highway in Kaziranga when the leopard appeared from the woods and pounced on him. The animal may have mistaken the passing cyclist for prey, charging straight at him and knocked him off his bike with its left hip.
The leopard retreated into the forest as the biker lost his balance and fell off his bike. After witnessing the incident, other bikes and cars came to a halt for some time, but the man appeared unharmed. He hurriedly turned his bike around and started cycling back, visibly startled by the incident and peering over his shoulder.
The footage was published on Twitter by IFS officer Parveen Kaswan, who said the attack, happened in January and was caught on cameras deployed by park authorities at the Kaziranga National Park.
“A camera put by authorities in Kaziranga filmed the incident in January,” Kaswan said. “Leopard was attempting to cross the road.” “They were both fortunate.”
“Leopards are highly adaptive animal” according to Kaswan.
He also tweeted that “They can be found in farms, sugarcane fields, tea gardens, and even urban areas. Sometimes the interactions are pleasant, but many times there are disagreements.”
That cyclist not able to believe on his luck !! @Independent pic.twitter.com/WVbDCMEpX6
— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) June 15, 2022
Leopard-human conflict has risen in recent years, with several reports of huge cats attacking humans garnering headlines. Leopards have strayed into human settlements due to dwindling prey populations and habitat destruction, causing conflict.
Ms Kalinga