Terrifying scenes as escaped leopard runs loose through SCHOOL and attacks worker

TRAPPED in the bone-breaking jaws of a leopard, a terrified animal rescuer feels the awesome power of one nature's deadliest hunters running amok in a school.

By Stuart Winter

PUBLISHED: Mon, Feb 8, 2016  

 

The brave conservationist had tried to catch the famished leopard after it began stalking the corridors for an easy kill. Leopards have become a growing threat to children after an environmental disaster began driving the big cats into cities to find easy food.

In these gripping scenes, the leopard can be seen leading rescuers on a 10-hour game of big cat and mouse as it avoided capture at Vibgyor International School, on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the capital of India's Karnataka state.

Luckily, the school was closed for the weekend and there were no children to tempt the fully-grown leopard, weighing about 100lb and capable of becoming a man-eater. Renown conservation scientist Sanjay Gubbi felt the power of the leopard as it turned on him when he tried to tranquilise it with a dart gun, leaving him with nasty bite and claw injuries.

It may have strayed from the open forests near Whitefield, and once strayed, it could not go back

Ravi Ralf, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests

A cameraman was also attacked by the leopard. Today the authorities said neither men were in danger after the leopard was finally captured after collapsing in a school changing room. "It was a long struggle to capture the leopard," said the city's Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr S Boralingaiah.
Although it was injected with tranquilisers it could be captured only when the medication took full effect."

Conservation scientist Gubbi was called when the leopard was spotted skulking near human settlements, but the animal made its way into the school where CCTV security cameras picked up its images prowling the corridors and even entering the kitchen. Then the drama took a violent turn.

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The leopard began stalking the corridors for an easy kill, and inset, attacking a rescuer

After momentarily leaving the school, the leopard dashed back into the premises and made it to school swimming pool where it panicked.

"It was an eight-year-old full-grown male leopard. It may have strayed from the open forests near Whitefield, and once strayed, it could not go back," said Ravi Ralf, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife).

"We tried to lock it in a room, but the windows close to the roof were covered by a flimsy mesh. It managed to push its way outside and leap to another room. Even there, it pushed through the mesh and leapt out. Those were anxious moments," said Mr. Ralf.

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Footage shows the leopard panicking and running towards a wall to escape the tranquillisers

Before the tranquilisers worked, the leopard went on attacking spree, charging at foresty official inside the school and then homing on Gubbi. Despite his desperate efforts to escape by scaling a wall, the leopard dragged him to the floor, sinking its fangs into his arm before turning on the cameraman.
Eventually the drugged leopard went to a nearby changing room and fell asleep, allowing the forestry team to cover it with a net before taking it to a nearby rescue centre for treatment and observation before being released.

Leopard attacks on children in Indian have become an increasingly witnessed phenomenon in recent years. The reason is due the poisoning of the country's vulture by a veterinary medicine which, in turn, saw a massive rise in the number of dogs scavenging carrion  on the streets. With feral dogs a favourite prey item of leopards, the big cats were drawn increasingly into heavily populated areas, where they began finding children easier to catch than dogs.

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Bengaluru leopard incident: 3 charts tell you why some neighbourhoods are vulnerable

 

There is a large connectivity of old plantations near Whitefield towards Sarjapur extending up to Anekal 

 

Sarayu Srinivasan| Monday, February 8, 2016

Sunday’s incident in Whitefield area of Bengaluru, where a leopard entered a school, has sent shudders through many residents in peripheral areas of the city.

Some people including wildlife conservationist Sanjay Gubbi, a TV camera person and a driver were injured before the leopard could be tranquilised and taken to the rescue centre of the Bannerghatta Biological Park.

Ravi Ralph, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka says that there is a lot of concern over the quality of buffer zones that have transformed into conflict zones.

“The leopards come from peripheral areas. Though not continuous, there is a large connectivity of old plantations near Whitefield towards Sarjapur extending up to Anekal in the outskirts of Bengaluru,”he said.



 About two decades ago, leopards were known to have roamed in Marathahalli and other areas that have recently become the IT hubs and developing residential layouts, he said.

Asked about other areas in Bengaluru that are vulnerable to big-cats entering the city, Ralph said, “Varthur, Kanakapura and Bannerghatta areas are a few to name as there are forest areas and plantations in this zone. There have been few incidents in the past in those areas.”



Though this is the first incident in 2016, a few areas in the city that are close to buffer zones have witnessed many such incidents in last few years. There were 5 incidents of leopards straying in between February 2014 and February 2015.

"There have been a number of incidents in the past where large-carnivores have entered the city, but we cannot really say that Bengaluru is vulnerable to big cats entering the city. This has taken place after almost a year, “he said.

Ralph said that wild cats, leopards in particular have the ability to hide behind bushes and this area have large acres of intermixed bushes.

 “They don’t lose their way as it has been reported by media rather they come in search of food as there is a decrease in prey population in the protected areas. They come in search of dogs and dogs are found near garbage dumps,” he said.

 

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Who is Responsible for Leading Leopards, Tuskers into Cities?

By Meera Bhardwaj

Published: 08th February 2016

A video grab of the leopard that entered Vibgyor High on Sunday; an SMS was sent to the parents by the school authorities about the situation

A file photo of wild elephants crossing the Bannerghata-Anekal Road near Mantapa village

The big cat attacking a man in the school campus; he was among the six people injured

BENGALURU:  With sightings of leopard and elephants on the rise in and around the city limits, causing fear and panic among the citizens, wildlife conservationists are warning against catching and transporting these big cats far away from their home ranges.

According to experts, there is a need for concerted action by the state government to stop encroachments into wildlife habitats. There is also a need for awareness campaigns to educate people to keep their surroundings clean and garbage-free.

Leopards on the Prowl

In the last three years, the sighting of big cats has been reported from Whitefield, Kanakapura Road (NICE Road junction), Kengeri and Tavarakere. In some areas on the outskirts, female leopards have been seen with cubs. Further, Whitefield area often sees big cats near apartment complexes, schools and inside compound walls.

Wildlife experts point out that Bengaluru city is rapidly expanding and moving into the landscapes of the big cats and corridors of the pachyderms. This development, in turn, has witnessed the big cats moving into human landscapes.

Leopard expert Dr Vidya Athreya says capture and translocation is not the solution as another animal will take its place. “Captures have often resulted in attacks and sometimes, these big cats have returned to their home ranges. There are instances when a leopard has travelled 300 km back to its home after capture.”

Although there are not many research studies on leopards outside protected areas, Athreya says that leopards live and thrive in rural landscapes nowadays.

She adds, “These animals take cover in the day and roam in the night for food. Human use areas are rich in food and water. Besides, leopards are attracted to garbage that may have meat pieces and are also food for stray dogs, which become its prey.”

 

They don’t need reserve forest areas to thrive as they have adapted to surviving in agricultural landscapes and every now and then stray into cities, attracted by easily available food.

Leopards are known to keep away from human beings as they don’t like humans. In this regard, the Forest Department should launch awareness campaigns and educate people on the measures to be taken in the event of a leopard being sighted in their vicinity.

Athreya explains, “This has been done in Mumbai, which frequently sees leopards in some of the suburbs adjoining the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. These ongoing efforts to educate people has, in fact, reduced man-animal conflict in the mega-city.”

Tuskers Outside the Wild

Wildlife experts say that with shrinking habitat and disappearance of elephant corridors in the regions surrounding Bengaluru, there have been frequent reports of sightings of these gentle giants on the outskirts of the city. There have been instances when these animals attracted by sugarcane, coconut and paddy, have turned into crop raiders and also attacked people.

Although elephants are known to live in herds comprising one or two dominant males, females, breeding mothers and young ones, a few wild elephants are known to traverse from Bannerghata ranges to Tumakuru every season in search of food, says a forest officer. Therefore, it is not unusual to see pachyderms criss-crossing and coming on to the Bannerghata-Anekal Road as it is their area. People therefore have to be careful and avoid elephants while using this road.

The Bannerghata Biological Park’s elephant safari has 19 elephants, including females. With the park surrounded by the National Park on both sides, wild tuskers do visit the safari now and then for a romantic interlude.

The Bannerghata National Park, which abounds the Safari Park on two sides, is part of an elephant corridor that connects both the Billigiri Rangana Betta and the Sathyamangala forest area. Despite solar fencing and elephant-proof trenching, incidents of man-animal conflict have been reported as these regions are close to their habitat.

Research Studies

According to recent research studies by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) India chapter, capture of leopards is not the solution as analysis has shown that their capture or removal were, in fact, associated with higher probabilities of leopard attacks on livestock and humans. The study has highlighted that resurgence of large carnivores in human landscapes now needs to be buttressed by management actions based on research that generates knowledge about their ecology.

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