Fed up with a leopard that has been terrorising their village in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj, residents took matters into their own hands, literally.
Claiming the Forest Department failed to take action even after repeated complaints, the villagers trapped the big cat with their bare hands.
An undated video showed young men from the village holding the spotted animal in their hands. While one of them held the animal in a chokehold, another grabbed his neck. Others gathered around the men and held its legs to ensure that the animal does not slip from their grip.
As per a viral post, the Forest Department reached the spot to take the animal away after the villagers informed that they had captured the leopard.
The video was met with angry reactions from users online who condemned the manner in which the villagers held the animal and worried about its well-being. Other users, however, praised the villagers' courage.
Take a look at the viral video here:
“There was an atmosphere of fear among the villagers due to the activities of the leopard in Lalpur village of Nautanwa tehsil of Maharajganj district. The anger of the villagers rose as no concrete action was taken despite informing the forest department. Finally, the angry villagers tried to catch the leopard and after a lot of hard work, they captured it. The video of this entire incident went viral on social media. On getting information about the incident, the forest department team reached the spot and took necessary action to handle the situation," the caption of the original video, shared on X, read.
How did social media react?
{{/usCountry}}“There was an atmosphere of fear among the villagers due to the activities of the leopard in Lalpur village of Nautanwa tehsil of Maharajganj district. The anger of the villagers rose as no concrete action was taken despite informing the forest department. Finally, the angry villagers tried to catch the leopard and after a lot of hard work, they captured it. The video of this entire incident went viral on social media. On getting information about the incident, the forest department team reached the spot and took necessary action to handle the situation," the caption of the original video, shared on X, read.
How did social media react?
{{/usCountry}}“They are checking him. Yeah, people will call them bagh ka kareja, but think about the leopard. What wrong he has done? Just because he entered the human habitat? Then why are we destroying their habitat?” one user said. “Looking at its paws, I think he choked leopard,” wrote another.
“They probably killed him. 15 against 1 that's how brave these cowards are. What happened next??? Hope everyone and the leopard is safe as well,” said a third user.
“Incredible bravery by the villagers in Maharajganj! Catching a leopard with bare hands is no small feat. Truly astonishing to witness such courage and strength! But I hope along with humans, the animal is also safe,” opined another user.