Although most humans naturally fear a wild animal attack, the truth is, they’re likely more afraid of us than we are of them. During a normal afternoon in Ballpur village in Maharashtra, India, people literally had to run for their lives.
A wild leopard lost his way and found himself in the confined corners of this small village. The feline is noticeably terrified, as are the people. You can hear the residents of this Maharashtra village banging on pots, yelling, and doing what they can to scare off this panicked feline.
Contrary to popular opinion, leopards are less likely to attack a person, especially if they themselves are hurt, and will be less effective hunters. Like the majority of animals, the leopard only attacks when it feels threatened or tends to target kids because it finds them to be easier prey.
If a leopard approaches you, make a lot of noise by clapping your hands, yelling, and waving your arms. This gives the impression that you are bigger, which raises the likelihood that they will back down and leave.
The people in this video clearly aren’t strangers to leopards. They knew exactly what to do when this cat came near their homes. Never under any circumstances try to flee if you’re in this situation. The leopard may develop a chasing instinct as a result. When it’s safe to do so, carefully pull back. But if they move toward you, make sure to stop moving.
Finding a Place to Hide
There’s no denying that the leopard is terrified in this video. It’s trying to find a place to escape to when it finally hides in the bathroom of a hut. Thankfully, there weren’t any injuries from this encounter. There have been situations in the past where a leopard accidentally enters a small village and out of fear, attacks people.
According to the locals, the forestry department caught the wild animal and released it back into the wild. There wasn’t too much damage done to the village besides the fright of the leopard’s presence. Many of the comments on the video feel bad for the animal. One reads,
“I think things would have gone better if everyone went inside until he left on his own.” Another person points out how sad this video made them. They said, “A more fitting title would be “Village attacks leopard” the poor thing is terrifying. I know the villagers are scared too but if they all went indoors, guaranteed that the leopard would’ve fled into the forest as fast as its legs could carry it! The look in its eyes at the end was pure terror. It broke my heart.”
It’s understandable that humans naturally experience fight or flight when in situations like this. These people were likely scared for their lives and thought the best solution was to spook off the wild animal.
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