Three persons were seriously injured when a leopard suddenly pounced upon them while they were in the safety of their homes at Newdamajali village in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district on Friday morning.

An adult male leopard crept into the village at about 10 a.m. In the midst of the panic created when it was sighted by the villagers, it tried to hide inside a hut and attacked the two persons within, Raj K. Mahtolia, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), North Bengal, told The Hindu over telephone.

Mr. Mahtolia said that foresters rushed to the spot when they received the information that the leopard had attacked the village. The tranquillising team was lying in wait near the hut where the animal was hiding, when it dashed out into another hut injuring another person inside, Mr. Mahtolia added.

Eventually the leopard was tranquillised and relocated to the Gorumara National Park nearby where it was released after the effects of the drug had worn off. The leopard, a five or six-year-old animal, was examined and found to be completely healthy, he said.

Keywords: leopard attack

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