Tumkaru/Bengaluru: An elderly woman watching a prime-time TV show saw a more stunning drama unfold outside the screen when a leopard came rushing into the house in Kunigal taluk of Tumakuru district on Monday night.Finding herself in the jaws of death, Narasamma jumped out of her chair, ran to the door and slammed it shut. The incident took place at Bandigaudanapalya village near Huliyurdurga. The big cat was captured in a six-hour operation.“When the leopard walked right in, my heart stopped. I ran out as fast as I could. It’s a miracle I’m safe,” she said.Around 9pm, the leopard, reportedly chasing a goat, stormed into the house belonging to Chikka Mariyappa. In a remarkable display of presence of mind, she trapped the leopard inside the house. The animal hid under a cot in a bedroom.After alerted by villagers, a rescue team, including wildlife officials and tranquiliser expert Kiran from Bannerghatta, rushed to the spot.The operation was challenging since the animal was in a confined space. After cordoning off the area, the team tranquilised the big cat and safely caged it. Forest officials said the leopard would be rehabilitated in deep forests.The incident came as no surprise to villagers since they had seen the leopard prowling around for over a month, apparently in search of livestock. “We couldn’t step out after dark. We are thankful to the forest officials and rescue team for preventing a tragedy,” said Ramesh, a villager.
