Watch: They sedated an injured leopard. Seconds later it pounced on the rescuers

A leopard hit by a vehicle on a highway in Davanagere district, Karnataka, India, attacked one of the wildlife conservationists who came to rescue it. The leopard was sedated but the drug did not fully take effect, and it lunged at the rescuer, knocking him down. The team intervened with poles, the leopard fled into the bushes and was eventually transferred to a medical facility.

A leopard hit by a vehicle on a highway in Davanagere district, Karnataka, India, attacked one of the wildlife conservationists who came to rescue it. The incident occurred on Tuesday and was captured on video that went viral. According to a report in the Times of India, local forest department teams arrived at the scene and provided initial treatment. The leopard was injected with a sedative, but the drug did not fully take effect and it remained conscious. Suddenly it lunged at one of the rescuers, knocked him to the ground, and team members intervened with poles to distract it. The leopard fled into grassy terrain by the roadside and was eventually safely transferred to a medical facility where it is being treated. Experts explain that sedation does not cause immediate unconsciousness, and an injured animal may be frightened and aggressive. Local authorities advise drivers to slow down in accident-prone areas, maintain distance, not touch or feed wildlife, and not honk near them.