Leopard on the rampage...

[faceless]

Leopard brings terror to housing estate
by OLIVER STALLWOOD - Thursday, January 18, 2007

There was a time when domesticated urban cats did little more than fight in back alleys, miaow all night and bring home the occasional dead bird. City-dwelling felines in India, however, are a different prospect entirely – as these pictures illustrate. This young leopard brought terror to a housing estate in the holy city of Nashik, near Mumbai, this week. The big cat darted across a busy park, scaled a boundary wall into a gated community and began scavenging for food in the gardens. As terrified families locked their doors and windows, a few residents managed to corner the beast and tried to drive it away with sticks. Leopards being leopards, of course, it did not take kindly to this and tried to fight back, giving at least one brave soul a nasty nip on the arm. Eventually, the leopard was overpowered and beaten to death.

The residents' brutal response may have been provoked by reports of a leopard killing and eating three children in the north-western state of Kashmir earlier this month. There, residents chased down and killed a leopard on Wednesday after it reportedly attacked two boys. Zoologists say attacks could occur more often as India's economic boom leads to rapid urbanisation and the destruction of natural wildlife habitats.

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there is video of this too, but I couldn't get it working - not much fun seeing something being battered to death though eh?

[IRiSHMaFIA]

I'm glad the video didn't work. Although I don't like seeing humans in danger I'd still not like to see an animal being beaten to death. I'd of not slept for a week if I did.

He's really lucky he only got away with his arm being hurt. That's just incredibly sad about children being eaten, and perhaps it's time they think about taking all the land these animals are use to living on.

They've 1000's of monkeys running all over one town because their land was also built upon and there's no place for them to go, and their food sources are being destroyed just as this leopards has.

[Skylace]

What a terrible story all around. I am glad the video didn't work either. I couldn't stand to see the animal beaten to death.

[girldorksrule]

I find it fascinating that we continue to encroach on the animals and they are the ones to blame when they fight back.

[IRiSHMaFIA]

[girldorksrule]

Thanks...good to be back. It is tragic that kids are killed. And it is natural for animals to do it even if they aren't starving. They are just like us...very territorial. We just have better means for taking over the territory