Interestingly, officials share that it poses no real threat for public, as it is very rare that leopards become man-eaters.
On 7 February, a leopard entered Vibgyor School in Bangalore, India. Here it attacked approximately five people, injuring three forest department personnel, and a veterinarian. A surveillance video of Sunday’s attack showed the leopard chasing men around the private school’s swimming pool, jumping on them and mauling them as they tried to run from there. It was a weekly holiday so there were no students in sight when the event occurred. It was about 4 a.m. when Vibgyor High’s security suspected that the feline was in school premises. CCTV camera footage showed the leopard walking through the corridors of the school and entering the kitchen. The leopard seemed peaceful until then, as it had not yet come in contact with people.
The Forest department was then called and two teams set out on what was to be a ten hour long ordeal. “It was an 8-year-old full-grown male leopard. It may have strayed from the open forests near Whitefield, and once strayed, it could not go back,” said Ravi Ralf, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests.
The apprehensive drama took an intense turn, when forest officials shot tranquilizer darts at the leopard. Sanjay Gubbi, a wildlife conservationist called to the scene by Forest Department officials, was caught by the leopard as he tried to scale a wall; it dragged him down and then bit him in the arm. A driver was also among those who got injured. Finally, the drugged leopard made its way to a changing room and collapsed there. An hour after waiting, and approving that the leopard was asleep; it was covered in a net and taken out of the school.
The eight year old male leopard, that is said to have strayed onto the school grounds from a nearby forest, was being kept for treatment and observation at the rescue center of the Bannerghatta Biological Park. From here it escaped once again.
Now a major search is underway to locate the big cat after it escaped the Bangalore zoo once again.