Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh): The leopard stood behind a tree in Lugasi forest, lurking. Just as the 40-member forest team neared the tree searching for the big cat it pounced upon deputy ranger of Pahadgaon Santosh Kumar Kondar.
Seeing his friend in the jaws of death, the deputy ranger of Nougaon Rajendra Saxena came to his rescue.
The unruffled leopard then left Kondar and attacked Saxena. That unnerved the team’s other members who began to hurl sticks they were carrying at the big cat which escaped.
The incident occurred at Lugasi outpost under Nougaon police station on Friday morning when a 40-member forest team went to the forest to rescue the big cat, official sources said.
As the forest officials came to know from the villagers that a leopard was seen moving around the Nougaon area they rushed to the spot to rescue it.
The leopard suddenly pounced upon Kondar and took him into its deathly grip. Seeing his friend in danger, as Saxena tried to shoo away the leopard, it attacked him, too. Both were severely injured and admitted to the district hospital.
On the other hand, the leopard escaped towards the forest.
A team, comprising police men and experts of Panna National Park and from two other places, has begun to search for the leopard.
Kondar told journalists how the leopard attacked him. According to him, the villagers informed the forest department about the leopard that they saw move around the forest.
A team of foresters rushed to the spot to rescue the animal. All members of the team were carrying sticks and were slowly moving in the woods.
The leopard standing behind a tree suddenly attacked him and took him into its grip, Kondar said.
No sooner had Saxena seen Kondar in the grip of the leopard than he tried to shoo away the animal.
The other members of the team, then, began to throw sticks at the leopard which ran away. Kondar said it was a close shave from the jaws of death.
When the injured were rushed to the district hospital there was only one nurse.
Although the civil surgeon and the chief medical and health officer were informed about it, nobody reached the hospital.
An official of the forest department Ramesh Prasad Mishra said that no medical aid was given to the injured.
