A 55-year-old woman fought off a leopard with her walking stick on Wednesday after the big cat attacked her inside her home in Aarey, Mumbai.
Nirmala Rambadan suffered scratches to her face in the attack that was caught on CCTV.
Aarey, a suburban locality in the city, is prone to regular human-leopard conflicts as it borders Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park, home to 50 big cats.
This is the fifth attack by the leopard, a sub-adult male from the park, in recent weeks, Mumbai forest official Gajanan Hire said.
“We have identified the leopard and are seeking permission to trap it,” he told The National.
Footage of the incident shows the leopard climbing down a boundary wall, while the woman walks into the courtyard from her house with the help of a walking stick.
As soon as she sits on an elevated platform in the courtyard, the leopard pounces on her from behind and knocks her down.
She regains composure, grabs her steel walking stick, and whacks the leopard several times, forcing it to retreat.
The roughly minute-long video has gone viral on social media, with users commending the woman’s courage and presence of mind.
On Sunday, a four-year-old boy was dragged by the leopard towards the park, while he was playing outside his home before locals rescued him.
The child suffered severe head and body injuries.
Earlier in September, a young woman from the same locality was attacked by the leopard, leaving her with severe injuries.
