Leopard attacks forest official during rescue in Karnataka

A forest department official was injured during a rescue operation for a leopard on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48) in the Davanagere district of Karnataka.

The leopard was reportedly struck by a vehicle while attempting to cross the highway near Kokkanur village, causing it to fall into a roadside drain with injuries to its eye and hip. When a rescue team arrived to administer anesthesia, the animal lunged at the personnel. Forest guard Maralusiddappa sustained injuries to his hand, leg, and chest during the encounter.

Due to the absence of a trained wildlife veterinarian in the Davanagere forest division, a veterinary team from Hampi was called to assist. After a second dose of anesthesia was successfully administered, the leopard was captured and moved to a veterinary facility for treatment. Officials noted that the stretch of NH-48 where the incident occurred is a known area for wildlife movement.