A 56-year-old woman in Uttarakhand has killed a leopard with a sickle and an axe in a fierce battle that lasted some 30 minutes.
The leopard attacked Kamla Devi, a resident of Koti village in Rudrparayag district, when she was irrigating a field on Sunday morning.
She reportedly fought off the big cat with an axe and a sickle, and sustained serious injuries. Devi is undergoing treatment at Srinagar Garhwal Base hospital.
"At first, I was terrified. But, then I gathered my courage to fight back. I promised myself that this is not my last day here," Devi told HT over phone on Monday.
Her husband, Dev Singh, died a few years ago due to illness. Her only son is working in the hotel industry in Delhi. Devi stays with her relatives in Koti.
Another tale of heroic
In 2009, Priyanshu Joshi, a Class 6 student, fought off a leopard with bare hands to save his sister, Priyanka.
The brother and sister, residents of Dehradun, were on their way to school in Premnagar around 7am when the leopard attacked Priyanka.
Priyanshu held the animal from back. The leopard then attacked him. In the meantime, a school bus arrived on the spot and honked, forcing the big cat to leave. Both Priyanshu and Priyanka sustained serious injuries.
"When I saw the leopard mauling my sister to death, I looked around for help. People literally ran away from the site. Then I realised that I have to take a step to save my sister.
Priyanshu held the animal from back. The leopard then attacked him. In the meantime, a school bus arrived on the spot and honked, forcing the big cat to leave. Both Priyanshu and Priyanka sustained serious injuries.
"When I saw the leopard mauling my sister to death, I looked around for help. People literally ran away from the site. Then I realised that I have to take a step to save my sister.
"I rushed towards the animal and held it tightly from its back. It then left my sister and attacked me. Thankfully, a school bus approached towards us and the animal ran away," said Priyanshu, who is now in Class 11.
Priyanshu received a national bravery award for his courage on January 26, 2011, from the President of India.