- A leopard entered a farmhouse in Odisha's Cuttack district late Friday night
- The leopard attacked a young man who defended himself with a knife
- The man suffered serious head and body injuries and was hospitalised in Cuttack
A late-night clash between a man and a wild animal in Odisha's Cuttack district led to the death of a leopard and left a young man seriously injured. The incident has caused panic among villagers in nearby areas.
The incident took place on Friday night at a farmhouse in a village under the Narsinghpur West Forest Range.
According to reports, the leopard allegedly entered the farmhouse owned by Subhranshu Bhol while he was present inside. The intrusion came to light when the family's pet dogs began barking loudly, alerting everyone to the animal's presence.
The dogs initially confronted the leopard, after which the wild cat reportedly attacked the young man.
In an attempt to save himself, the man fought back with a knife. During the struggle, the leopard received fatal stab wounds and died on the spot. The man suffered severe injuries to his head and several other parts of his body. He was given immediate medical help nearby and later shifted to Cuttack for better treatment.
Along with the injuries, the farmhouse property and a vehicle also suffered significant damage during the incident.
The victim's father, Sudarshan Bhol, said he received an emergency call from his son between 12:30 am-1:00 am. His son had asked him to arrange an ambulance quickly and come to the farmhouse, also requesting that the news not be shared with his mother. According to the father, the man locked himself inside the house after the struggle to stay safe.
Forest department officials reached the spot soon after being informed. They recovered the leopard's body and began investigating the circumstances that led the animal to wander into a residential area.
Athagarh SP Manoj Patra confirmed the incident, stating that the police received a report about a leopard entering a farmhouse. He said the man was injured during the struggle, and the leopard died. The injured person has been referred to Cuttack for treatment, and further investigation is underway.
The incident has increased fear among residents in surrounding areas and has once again highlighted the growing conflict between humans and wild animals.
A forest officer said that they received information from a farmhouse about a leopard attack on a man , which led to a fight between the animal and the man. The leopard died due to stab wounds, while the man was seriously injured while defending himself. A Joint Task Force (JTF) team will visit the spot for investigation, and a post-mortem will be conducted in the presence of the Regional Chief Conservator of Forests (RCCF), the forest officer said.
(With inputs from Devv Kumar)
