India: Leopard Bursts into Liquor Store, Attacks Employee

Dramatic video footage shows a leopard bursting into a liquor store in India and attacking an employee as he desperately tries to flee, before the wild animal begins sniffing around the empty shop, knocking bottles off a shelf.

A leopard suddenly charged into a liquor shop in Todaraisingh, northern India, and immediately pounced on the 25-year-old shopkeeper, Sanjay Gurjar, on Monday, according to video footage obtained by the Sun.

WARNING: DISTURBING VIDEO:

The video shows Gurjar managing to quickly evade the big cat, before bolting out of the building and leaving the leopard slinking around what appears to be a stock room inside the liquor store.

While snooping around the shop, the wild animal can be seen pushing a few boxes over and knocking bottles of alcohol off shelves.

The shopkeeper — who reportedly sustained injuries to his hand, shoulder, and nose from the attack — was able to close the blinds to the shop as he scurried out, trapping the leopard inside.

“I somehow pushed the leopard away and ran towards the exit,” Gurjar said. “As I ran, I pulled the shutter down. Then I lost consciousness.”

Video surveillance from outside the store also shows the leopard leaping at another man, 40-year-old Fateh Lal Koli, before barging into the booze shop, the Sun reported.

The same leopard — which wandered into the northern Indian town just before 9:00 a.m. — accosted a third man, forest volunteer Rakesh, that morning.

All three men were injured in the attacks, which sparked a five-hour search for the wild animal. The extent of the two other men’s injuries was not made clear.

Wildlife specialists eventually tracked down the leopard and tranquillized it at around 2:00 p.m. The big cat, which was reportedly a five-year-old male, will be returned to the wild, according to the report.