Watch A ‘Fast As Lighting’ Leopard Attack An Unsuspecting Bicyclist

Written by Sharon Parry
Updated: October 20, 2023
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There are a few safety precautions and things that you need to look out for when riding a bike. Cars, trucks, lorries, large potholes in the road, and other cyclists are just a few. But flying leopards…that is one that we have not heard of before!

Blink and you will miss that action in this super short clip but take it from us, it’s worth going back to the start and looking at it again! You will not be disappointed.

Witness the Amazing Footage Below!

Leopards As A Hazard To Cyclists

Leopards have a highly effective hunting method and we suspect that this is what we are seeing in action here. The poor cyclist is traveling along the road, minding their own business when – bang – a leopard literally comes flying out of the undergrowth on the left. The big cat slams into the cyclist, knocking him off balance. The animal hits the back wheel, knocking the bike from underneath the man and then, realizing that bikes are not that great to eat, it races off back into the trees. A car traveling in the same direction is forced to brake suddenly to avoid hitting the bike which has been pushed towards the road. Meanwhile, the bewildered and shaken cyclist picks up his bike and crosses the road, cycling back to a group of men who have stopped to check that he is okay. He seems to be telling them what happened and is checking himself for injuries.

Indian Leopards Hunting

leopard in a tree

Leopards are good at adapting to changes in their habitats.

©Ondrej Prosicky/Shutterstock.com

The usual hunting method for leopards is to wait in trees and then ambush prey from above. This particular leopard, however, has decided to try out a lightning-fast strike from the ground. They have proved to be a highly adaptable species and are willing to remain living near human populations. This is great for leopard conservation but not so great if you are a cyclist. Nevertheless, we need to bear in mind that we are encroaching on leopard habitats and need to adapt our behavior accordingly.

This particular footage was captured by traffic camera footage placed on a road near some dense woodland in the Kaziranga National Park in India. It was recorded in January 2022 and since then, the park rangers have urged people not to stop their vehicles in the area for safety. That’s all well and good but cyclists are still clearly at risk even when they are moving!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Rudi Hulshof/Shutterstock.com


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About the Author

Dr Sharon Parry is a writer at A-Z animals where her primary focus is on dogs, animal behavior, and research. Sharon holds a PhD from Leeds University, UK which she earned in 1998 and has been working as a science writer for the last 15 years. A resident of Wales, UK, Sharon loves taking care of her spaniel named Dexter and hiking around coastlines and mountains.

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