Leopard strays into Ghaziabad court, injures at least five people
Body-armour-clad police were waving flaming sticks and laying out nets inside the courthouse in an effort to corral the creature...
Published: 08th February 2023 07:34 PM | Last Updated: 08th February 2023 07:34 PM | A+A A-
Image for representation purpose only.
GHAZIABAD: A leopard wounded at least five people on Wednesday when it strayed into a courthouse on the outskirts of New Delhi, police said.
Footage of the incident circulated on social media showed several men injured in the attack, including one man who was carried away from the courthouse in Ghaziabad while watched by onlookers.
Body-armour-clad police were waving flaming sticks and laying out nets inside the courthouse in an effort to corral the creature, video seen by AFP showed.
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"The leopard jumped around in the court complex in panic and five to six people were injured. Efforts are on to capture it," an officer in the local police station said, declining to give his name.
Leopard in Ghaziabad court. pic.twitter.com/cVXOruLr0Z
— Raghib Ali (@Ali450Ali) February 8, 2023
Ghaziabad is on the eastern edge of New Delhi and is close to an expanse of forest that is a leopard habitat.
At least 12,000 leopards live in India. They have been classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Officials say that, on average, one leopard is killed per day for straying into areas occupied by humans in India, with the number of incidents on the rise due to shrinking forest habitats.
