Woman fights off leopard in Tamil Nadu’s Valparai to save daughter

Muthulakshmi hit the leopard so hard with the firewood that the animal let go of the girl and fled into the jungle, the police said.

A woman bravely fought off a leopard to save her 11-year-old daughter at Valparai in the district, police said on Saturday.

Police say the woman’s daughter sustained injuries on the neck and was taken to the government hospital in Pollachi. (HT File Photo)

Thirty-year-old Muthulakshmi, along with her daughter Sathya, were picking firewood in the backyard of their house last night, when the feline pounced on the girl and began dragging it away by her neck, they said.

Immediately, Muthulakshmi hit the leopard so hard with the firewood that the animal let go of the girl and fled into the jungle, the police said.

Sathya sustained injuries on the neck and was taken to the government hospital at Pollachi, they added.

On hearing this, forest department personnel decided to trap the leopard, which reportedly has been on the prowl in the area for over the past 10 days or more.

A fortnight ago, there were reports that a woman at Kanchamalai was a victim of a similar attack, sources said.