A four-year-old leopardess, which had strayed into human habitat on the outskirts of Maddur, was trapped by the Forest Department on Wednesday.
But the caged wildcat attacked Range Forest Officer Shashidhar when he was inspecting the cage. Mr. Shashidhar sustained injuries and was rushed to hospital, the police said.
The incident occurred at Chottanahalli in Maddur taluk.
According to residents of the village, the leopardess had been roaming in the vicinity of Chottanahalli for the past several months. It had killed several sheep and goats and had terrorised residents of several areas.
Consequently, the department had placed a cage with live bait in a field at Chottanahalli, on the outskirts of Maddur, and the wildcat fell into the trap.
“We will release the animal in forest area on Thursday,” Mr. Shashidhar said.
