LEOPARD ATTACKS IN INDIA | Facts and Details

LEOPARDS ATTACKING HUMANS

Panar Leopard killed by Jim Corbett

Leopards occasionally cause human fatalities. There have been reports of leopards stalking people at night and even breaking into homes and taking victims from their beds. Some leopards have killed people by leaping on them in the dark and dispatch them with a single bite to the back of the head. One man who was attacked by his pet leopard fought the animal for 40 minutes until he managed to kill it. “My ear was off,” he told the Independent. “I had to hold my jugular vein, and when I got to the hospital they thought I was going to die.” He needed 1,200 stitches and his face is still paralyzed and badly scared. The man said he was attacked because the animal though he was predatory male.

Corbett believed that man-eating leopards he encountered in Kumaon in India at the turn of the 20th century had developed a taste for human meat after scavenging human corpses. There was a number of reports of leopard attack following the great influenza of 1918 when so many people died it was difficult to keep up with cremating and burying all the victims.

Leopards have killed hunters. Peter Hathaway Capstick wrote in the book "Man-eaters": “In no case is the human hunter more likely to end up as the killer’s deliberate next meal as with the leopard. A man-eating leopard is the most difficult and dangerous of all cats to hunt because of its unnerving ability to reverse situations in its favor.”

In India, several professional hunters were killed by a single man-eating leopard and two villagers were killed by a leopard wounded by poachers. A leopard killed a five-year-old boy in the courtyard of his home in central India in 2014.

Leopards Attacks in India

Reports of leopard attacks in India are quite common. In December 2004, in Rajkot, India, a leopard 'visit' caused panic at temple. While the leopard did no harm on this visit. The year before a leopard killed a boy in an area near the same temple. That animal was captured and taken to a local zoo. The same month water workers in Bhandup, India demanded insurance against leopard attacks [Source: ExpressIndia.com]

In January 2005, three persons were injured in Manthani village, and another was seriously injured at the Malhati tea garden in Jalpaiguri, India. In October 2005 in Junagadh, India, a leopard attacked a family in home. “I was having breakfast with my family when a leopard suddenly rushed into our house and before we could do anything attacked us,” the man in the house said.

In November 2006, a four-year-old girl was killed by a leopard in Vadodara in Gujarat state, India,. The feline dragged her off while she was sleeping near her mother outdoors. According to Limkheda Range Forest Officer (RFO) Narendra Chauhan, the leopard picked up the child and dragged her to a nearby riverbed, where she was found dead of serious head wounds. A 50-year-old man was also reportedly attacked by a leopard in the Devgarh Baria division at about the same time, but he survived. [Source: Ahmedabad Newsline web site]

In August 2011, Pamposh Raina wrote in the New York Times: “Several rural villages in India have suffered leopard attacks in recent months, most recently on Saturday in the northeastern state of Assam. In July alone, nearly 16 people were mauled in four different attacks across the country. The most serious was in the eastern state of West Bengal, where a leopard wandered into a village and injured 11 people.A leopard attacks a forest guard in the village of Prakash Nagar in northeastern India.Associated PressA leopard attacks a forest guard in the village of Prakash Nagar in northeastern India. [Source: Pamposh Raina, New York Times, August 5, 2011]

Many of this year’s attacks were in places on the edges of forest reserves, reflecting the growing encroachment of humans on the leopard’s ecosystem, said Belinda Wright, the executive director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, a nonprofit group. As their habitat shrinks, the cats, which can weigh up to 250 pounds, wander into adjoining human settlements. Samir Sinha, head of Traffic India, a division of the World Wildlife Fund, said that leopards were much more adaptable than other big cats and could live off cattle and dogs in the absence of their usual prey like antelopes and deer. People are usually unprepared to deal with a leopard intrusion and sometimes help precipitate attacks, he and other cat experts add. “The animal is already under stress” when it enters a village and spots humans, Mr. Sinha said. “It’s best to get out of its way, because as it tries to break away someone will be injured.”

People living in areas close to leopard habitats sometimes run into trouble when they enter jungles to defecate, Ms. Wright said. In some areas or rural India, only a tiny percentage of households have access to modern sanitation, she noted. Mr. Sinha recommends that the government invest in emergency response teams for leopard attacks and in transporting the animals to other less densely populated locations. This should be undertaken carefully, he added, as the animal can still be dangerous upon reaching a new habitat.

In April, the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests released its first “Guidelines For Human-Leopard Conflict Management.” Calls to the ministry about the 24-page report were not returned, but the manual gives some direction. The report has a flow chart suggesting measures to be taken in the event of an attack on humans or livestock, for example.

Man-Eating Leopards in India

Gunsore man-eater — which killed 20 people — after it was shot 1901 on top of its last victim, a child from Somnapur village in the Seoni district, India

Reporting from Garot, India, Rama Lakshmi wrote in the Washington Post, “The dangerous conflict between man and beast in these Himalayan villages has grown in recent years because of the shrinking number of natural prey for the spotted cat and the steady buildup of people and livestock on the forest fringes. In the past nine years, leopards have eaten 189 people in India's Uttarakhand state. [Source: Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, October 8, 2009]

"This makes the villagers frightened and furious. They demand immediate action against the leopard," said K.L. Arya, the chief wildlife warden. "It is a very difficult decision to issue permits to capture or kill the man-eating leopards." Arya has issued two licenses in the past 10 days; in most instances, the leopard is killed, not captured. One of the two licenses is for the leopard that leapt from nearby hills and killed a 2-year-old boy who was playing with his four siblings on the open terrace of his home.

"The leopard caught my son by his neck right in front of my eyes. I could not even react," said the boy's tearful mother, Geeta Chik, clutching her remaining children. The boy's head and ankles were found in the upper reaches of the mountain the next day. "The leopard should be killed. I want no other child to be harmed again," his mother said. The fear is especially palpable after sundown, when the villagers forbid children to play outdoors. Officials say that after each death, villagers block traffic in protest and demand local politicians' help. Rangers enlist shooters to kill the leopards.

Panar Leopard and Other Famous Man-Eating Leopards

According to The deadliest man-eating leopard of all times was the Panar leopard. This male leopard lived in the Kumaon area of India during the early 20th century. He was most active in the Panar province, where he killed over 400 people, being the second most prolific man eater in recorded history. [Source: TyB, Listverse, October 16, 2010

“It seems that the leopard had been injured by a hunter, and rendered unable to hunt wild animals, so it turned to man-eating to survive. He was finally killed by famous hunter and conservationist, Jim Corbett, in 1910. Although the Panar leopard is the most infamous of all, there were others that were just as feared.

The Kahani man-eater, for example, killed over 200 people, and the Rudraprayag man-eater, who stalked and killed pilgrims en route to a Hindu shrine, killed 125 people in the 19th century before he, too, was shot by Jim Corbett. In one case the Rudraprayang man-eater stole into a house, grabbed a victim by the throat and dragged him outside the house before the man sitting next to victim realized something was amiss.

Leopard Attacks on Villagers

In 2014, a leopard enetered a village and injured four people in Badona village in Raipur Rani; Harayana. The Chandigarh Tribune reported: , Dr Amrinder Kaur, Chief Wildlife Warden, Haryana, said the leopard appeared to be an adult one (around eight years old) and strayed into the fields in search of prey. The villagers chased the disturbed animal, which then attacked them. “We have laid traps to catch the animal. A combing operation will be launched to trace the beast,” she said. “The injuries occurred when the villagers chased the big cat that had taken refuge in a tubewell unit on the outskirts of the village. The leopard attack spread panic among the villagers, forcing officials of the Haryana Wildlife Department to lay traps to catch the beast. [Source: The Tribune, December 3, 2014]

“On their way to the fields, Haripal Rana and his friend noticed pugmarks of the big cat in the morning. As they moved ahead, the animal's growl horrified them, following which the duo returned to the village. Haripal informed the villagers and wildlife officials about the presence of the leopard in the fields. In the meantime, Randhir, alias Pappy, a resident of Badona Khurd village, and his servant were attacked by the leopard at their tubewell. The leopard attacked the servant on his arm. The servant, who was unaware about the leopard's presence inside the tubewell unit, put his arm inside a window to take out the keys and was attacked by the animal, said Randhir Singh.

“As the injured raised the alarm, villagers, holding batons, sticks and other arms, rushed to the spot and chased the leopard. Noticing the mob, the furious cat attacked Randhir, Deepu, Sanjay and Sonu, causing them injuries on their face, head, arms and legs. After the attack, the leopard managed to escape from the area.

In 2015: the Express News Service reported from Nellore: One Maddipati Sivaiah Naidu (40) of Molakalapudi village was attacked by a leopard around 7:00am. Fortunately, he escaped with minor injuries. He was rushed to Gudur area hospital, where he is recovering. The incident took place at Sydapuram tank at the village. According to sources, Sivaiah Naidu, a farmer, was on the way to his sugarcane field to attend to the nature’s call. He cried loudly for help when the leopard suddenly pounced on him. He managed to free himself from the animal and started running from the spot. However, the leopard caught him again. By now, other villagers arrived on the scene and rescued Sivaiah and drove the leopard away. [Source: Express News Service, March 4, 2015]

“When contacted by Express, Sivaiah said the leopard was hiding in the bushes when he went to the fields. When it attacked, he tried scare it away with a stick, but the animal had already pined him to the ground, he said. Somehow, he managed to flee from there. “It was all God’s grace,” he said. A Bamidipati Venkaiah (70) of the village said this this is first time the villagers witnessed such an incident. “It is normal for us to go into the dense forest for collecting fire wood and other purposes. I have never seen a tiger in my life. I think the wild animal has came to Sydapuram tank for drinking water,” he said. Meanwhile, forest officials who rushed to the village confirmed that a leopard was moving in the surrounding areas and warned villagers not to go into the forest alone as there is the risk of attack. They said the matter would be taken up with their higher officials and the leopard would be caught soon.

Leopard Attacks on Villagers

306 Leopard Attacks on Humans in Himachal Pradesh Between 2005 and 2015

Himachal Pradesh witnessed 306 cases of leopards attack on humans between 2005 and 2015. According to TNN: In few pockets in Shimla, Mandi and Hamirpur districts 219 cases of mauling were reported in last seven years. Wildlife officials claim that there has been decline in leopards attacks on humans. According to a decade old survey there are around 700 Leopards in Himachal Pradesh. In a bid to reduce the man-animal conflict now the state wild life department is making efforts to create awareness among people and to carry out sensitization programmes all over the state on issues of man-animal conflict and to ensure peaceful co-existence of leopards with humans. [Source: Anand Bodh, TNN, June 11, 2015]

“Barring tribal areas, leopard are found throughout the state and it has been found that Leopard attack is more prevalent in lower and middle Himalayan region compared to the higher reaches and attack on livestock in forest areas and cowsheds is a common feature while lifting of dogs is a routine. The incidences of leopard attack are common in the districts of Hamirpur, Una, Ballarpur, Mandi, Kangra, Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Chamba and Kullu.

“A study done on man-animal conflict in Himachal Pradesh had found that most of the times the attack on human beings by leopard leads to grievous injury or permanent disability or death of person. "People have become used to attack on livestock, but the attack on human population is the main reason for conflict with this animal. Due to such incidences people have strong dislike for the leopard," study said.

Leopard Attacks in Southern India

In December 2004, The Hindu reported: “A leopard that strayed into Manakav on the suburbs of Kozhikode in Kerala was shot dead by policemen after it attacked and injured seven persons. Ajayan, a labourer who first spotted the animal was the first to be attacked. The animal then injured another person who got into its way and disappeared into the shrubs. But it sprang out as a large crowd of curious onlookers raised a hue and cry. The situation became tense as the leopard attacked all those who came into its way in the residential area. By then, Forest Department staff and policemen reached the scene. Also present were the District Collector, Rachna Shah. As the leopard continued to attack people, the Collector gave orders to shoot the animal. After nearly three hours of high drama, the leopard was gunned down by three trained policemen. [Source: The Hindu, December 11, 2004]

In February 2012, The Hindu reported: “Leopards straying into in villages nestling along the forest fringes in Kerala State, attacking people and their cattle have become a matter of serious concern. The killing of a healthy female leopard that had strayed into the small hamlet of Angamoozhy in the Ranni forest division by an unruly mob was the latest in the series of human-leopard conflict in the State. [Source: The Hindu February 29, 2012]

Three weeks before, a five-year old boy was fatally dragged by a leopard from the company of his father and brother at Athirappally in Ernakulam district. The boy’s body was found, later, in the surrounding area and the leopard was not traced. In another tragic incident, a four-year old boy was killed by a leopard on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in Idukki district a year ago. Killing of a Tiger by the villagers was also reported from the Munnar Forest division when the animal attacked a woman worker a year ago. As many as four leopards were fatally trapped by humans in Idukki in 2011, according to Mr M.N. Jayachandran, secretary of Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals in Idukki.

Tuesday’s killing of a female leopard had evoked concern and criticism from animal-lovers across the State. The ferocious animal that had killed two domesticated dogs in the village went into hiding in the bushes adjoining a rubber plantation closeby a school. The entire village, including the local panchayat president and a former District Panchayat member, thronged the spot.

The animal that came out after a five-hour wait inside the bush was more or less overpowered by a man from Kollam, Kuttan alias Vettu Kuttan, who claimed to be an expert in trapping of leopards. However the leopard was suffocated to death when 50 to 100 enthusiastic people swooped on the animal, thrusted their weight on it, plugging its mouth and nostrils, later, leaving the nearly 50 Forest department and Police personnel mere mute spectators of the tragic episode. The violent mob even blocked the vehicle of the Divisional Forest Officer, R. Kamalahar, and other Forest personnel, when he had directed the Range Officer to register case in connection with the killing of the wild animal.

Mr M.S. Rajendran, former District Panchayat member, told The Hindu that incidents of leopards attacking cattle and people were on the rise in Angamoozhy, Seethathode and Chittar villages. The local people were left with little option other than taking their own measures for protecting themselves from the wild animal attacks as the Forest department failed to ensure their safety, he said.

The Thrissur-based animal-lovers’ forum, Heritage Task Force (HTF), has condemned the killing of leopard in an avoidable encounter and that too in the presence of the Forest and police officials. In a letter to Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and Union Minister for Forests and Environment, Jayanthi Natarajan, the HTF secretary, V.K.Venkitachalam, alleged that the killing of leopard was carried out by notorious criminals who were let free by the law-enforcing agency even after the commitment of the crime for reasons best known to the authorities concerned.

Leopard Enters School in Bangalore and Injures Five People Before Capture

In February 2016, five people were injured during an attempt to capture a leopard that wandered into a school in Bangalore. Photos of the incident show the animal prowling around the closed school and trying to maul forestry officials as well as a wildlife activist and others who came too close. Ravi Ralph, chief wildlife officer in Karnataka state, said the leopard appeared to have entered the school from a nearby forest by jumping over the compound’s wall. [Source: Agence France-Presse in Bangalore, February 8, 2016]

The animal is seen attacking a man lying on the ground who uses his hand to defend himself. The cat is also shown sinking its claws into another man’s leg as he tries to climb a gate. “The leopard was caught and caged after a four-hour operation, when it was trapped in a room with one tranquilliser shot through a wire-meshed ventilator,” Ralph said. The animal was taken to Bangalore’s Bannerghatta zoo for observation, but was reportedly later released into the forest. Its victims were treated for minor injuries.

Leopard Attacks in Kashmir

In January 2007, the Hindustan Times reported: a leopard killed a 7-year old girl at Panchalthan village in the hills of Achabal in southern Anantnag district of Kashmir. Police said the leopard suddenly appeared outside the house of one Mohammad Yousuf Shaikh in the village, and attacked his daughter Beauty Jan. Police said that the girl, who was rescued by the residents by raising an alarm, however suffered critical injuries residents and died on way to hospital. This is second such incident in the area in the past three days. Earlier on Tuesday a leopard attacked and killed a 10-year old boy at a nearby Utrusso village in the same area. The killing of children by the wild animals have caused panic and scare in the area.[Source: Hindustan Times, January 12, 2007]

Wildlife officials say that there had been a substantial increase in wild animal population in Jammu and Kashmir as poaching and hunting has stopped in Kashmir with the rise of terrorism. They say that the human interference in the wild animal habitat has also increased and many forested areas have been denuded, which force the wild animals to stray into villages. They say that many areas, where wild animal usually inhabit are covered under snow and these animals come down to residential areas in search of food.

In January 2007 Greater Kashmir Online Edition reported: A third girl was killed by a leopard in Chattrugul in Achabal Halkha area of Islamabad district Saturday night [Source: Greater Kashmir Online Edition, January 14, 2007]

Leopard Attacks in Eastern India

The Hindu reported in Three policemen were severely injured in the incident that led to a scuffle between the animal and the policemen. The forest guards, meanwhile, succeeded in tranquilising the leopard A leopard strayed into a village near Siliguri in West Bengal's Darjeeling district and severely injured several policemen and forest guards when they tried to tranquilise it. Five villagers were also injured. The leopard died in the evening after it was brought to a veterinary centre at Sukna. [Source: Raktima Bose, The Hindu, July 20, 2011]

Forest Department officials said the leopard must have strayed into Salugara village, either from the Baikunthapur range or the Mahananda reserve forest. “It was spotted near a house in the morning by villagers who raised an alarm, and this startled the leopard. With the villagers trying to chase it, it tried to flee and injured five villagers in the process. Then, the leopard took shelter in an abandoned house,” Kanchan Banerjee, forest ranger of the Sukna Wildlife Range, told The Hindu on the phone.

Informed by the villagers, the Forest Department officials reached the spot with a large number of police personnel and forest guards. “The animal pounced upon a forest guard when he tried to tranquilise it at the house, injuring him critically. The leopard fled from the site and took shelter in the bushes at the end of the village. Around 5.30 p.m., the forest guards were able to locate it, and as they were approaching the spot in an open-hood vehicle, the leopard pounced on them. Three policemen were severely injured in the incident that led to a scuffle between the animal and the policemen. The forest guards, meanwhile, succeeded in tranquilising the leopard,” Mr. Banerjee said.

But the leopard also suffered injuries, as the policemen used batons and knives to save their colleagues. “Though two doctors were kept ready throughout the operation, the leopard died while it was being treated at the Sukna veterinary centre. Only a post-mortem can ascertain the reason…, though external injuries are suspected to be the primary cause,” he said.

January 2012, IBN Live reported: “A leopard, which had strayed into the heart of Guwahati, Assam attacked and injured a person at Nabagraha hill. Panic struck locals tried to drive away the animal, which ran into a nearby house and was kept locked in it till forest department officials, who had been informed, rescued it, official sources said. The injured was admitted to hospital. The leopard had come out of the jungles in the Nabagraha hill from its Silpukhuri side, the sources said. Rampant deforestation of Navagraha hill for construction of houses was causing depredation of habitats of wild animals forcing them to come out and attack people leading to increasing instances of man-animal conflicts, they added. [Source: IBN Livem January 7, 2012]

Leopard Attacks in Central India

IANS reported from Lucknow: “ Furious over continued leopard attacks on humans, villagers near the Katarniaghat forest reserve in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district roughed up forest officials and held them captive for several hours, an official said Wednesday. A team of forest officials, including a deputy ranger, was roughed up by the locals of Azad Nagar village Tuesday after a leopard, which had killed a minor girl Oct 24, grievously mauled a youth Ramu in the village fields. [Source: IANS November 9, 2011]

Accusing forest officials of not taking adequate steps to prevent wild animal attacks on humans, a large number of locals barged inside a forest outpost and manhandled the officials there. "It was only after the intervention of the police that we managed to rescue our officials," Divisional Forest Officer R.K. Singh told reporters Wednesday in Bahraich, 140 km from here.

"The leopard is hiding in the sugarcane fields of the village. We are carrying out an operation to drive it towards the forest area," added Singh. He confirmed that the same leopard had killed seven-year-old Kavita while she was sleeping outside her house in Sampatpurwa village. According to officials, over the last one month as many as six people have been injured and two killed in leopard attacks in Bahraich. The Katarniaghat forest reserve is home to at least 32 leopards.

In October 2011, the Indian Express reported from Nagpur: “One more person was killed in a leopard attack in Samudrapur area of Wardha district, suspected to have been caused by the same problem animal that has so far killed two persons in the neighbouring Chimur range of Chandrapur district. Baba Barekar, 42, was attacked by the leopard when he had gone to his field to water the crop. The leopard was hiding near the electric pump switch. When Barekar went to put off the switch after completing the work, the leopard attacked him and killed him on the spot. [Source: Vivek Deshpande , Indian Express, October 29 2011]

Divisional Forest Officer, Wardha, Pravin Chauhan told The Indian Express that the leopard also ate part of Barekar’s body. “We suspect it is the same animal that ran from the troubled area, which is very close, and came over to this side.” Sources said when Barekar didn’t return home, his brother reached the farm to locate him. There he saw the horrific scene of the leopard sitting on his brother’s body and devouring it. He ran back to village to inform the villagers who rushed to the field. The leopard, however, had made good its escape by then. Forest Department’s tranquilising team and an army of forest staff is camping in the troubled area with a number of cages deployed at vantage places to capture the animal, but haven’t yet succeeded.

In February 13, 2005 in Maharashtra Province, India, a tribal resident of Borkhind village was sleeping outdoors when the animal attacked and left him wounded. Frightened villagers said that it was the second incident after a leopard earlier took a girl away.India Travel Times reported: Terror has gripped a village in Nasik in Maharashtra following a leopard attack on a villager who was sleeping outside his home on Saturday. Thirty-year-old Kalu Shravan Dame, a tribal resident of Borkhind village, was sleeping when the animal attacked him, and left him wounded. KL. Sayeed, Assistant Forest Reservation Officer, said that the wounded man has identified the wild animal that attacked him as a leopard. "This man was sleeping outside his house at night when he was attacked. He has got injuries in his eyes, ears and head. We assume it was a leopard attack. He was given initial treatment at the government dispensary and now has been moved to this hospital," said Sayeed. Frightened villagers said that it was the second incident after a leopard took a girl child away. [Source: India Travel Times, February 23, 2005]

Meanwhile, forest officials have advised people against sleeping outside their homes at night. "In this village, the panther has been troubling the villagers since a long time. It had earlier picked up a child whose frock was found. Now it has attacked another man. If these people do not sleep outside, then they will not attack the villagers. We have put a cage to catch it, and have also advised the villagers not to sleep outside their houses," said DK Jadow, a forest guard. Environmentalists have in the past warned against the shrinking habitat of wild animals forcing

Attacks By Captive Leopards

In November 2006, Spiegel Online reportedl: “A 23-year-old female worker at the Chemnitz (Eastern Germany) Zoo was attacked and killed while cleaning the enclosure used for the zoo's two Persian leopards. In 2004, a female keeper at this zoo was badly mauled by a lion. A police spokeswoman was quoted as saying she died immediately. According to reports, the zookeeper had only recently completed training. She may not have properly locked the door to a cage in the rear of the animals' enclosure where the leopards were supposed to be confined during cleaning. [Source: Spiegel Online, November 11, 2006]

In July 2011, AFP reported: “Russian police said on they would not be charging the owners of a circus where a leopard mauled a small girl, as the law failed to provide adequately for such an event. The incident took place in Smolensk, a city some 400 km to the southwest of Moscow on July 8. The leopard bit the girl's thigh and scratched her shin before being restrained by circus staff. "Russian law does not provide any clear description of how to act with regard to wild animals, including in a circus, and does not state any punishment for the owner of an animal that attacks a person," said Alexander Borovikov, a senior aide to the prosecutor for the Smolensk Region. The circus accused the girl's parents of extortion after they attempted to gain compensation for the incident. Police have refused to open an investigation. [Source: AFP, July 28, 2011]

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: Animal Diversity Web animaldiversity.org ; National Geographic, Live Science, Natural History magazine, David Attenborough books, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian magazine, Discover magazine, The New Yorker, Time, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, Wikipedia, The Guardian, Top Secret Animal Attack Files website and various books and other publications.

Last updated January 2025