Captured on camera: cornered leopard scalps householder

A LEOPARD attacked a man inside his own house in a north-eastern Indian city yesterday, tearing off his scalp in a horrific incident caught on camera.

The big cat lashed out and seriously injured four people after it strayed into the house on Nabagraha Road in Silphukhuri, a bustling neighbourhood in the city of Guwahati.

The householder who attempted to corner the animal was caught on camera as the leopard clawed off his scalp.He was later photographed covered in blood from the incident and was said to be recovering in hospital last night.

The driver of a motorised rickshaw managed to pen the panicked leopard inside the house, which was kept locked until forest department officials sedated the animal.

Eyewitness Nipu Das said: “We were simply shocked and stunned to find the leopard inside the house and soon the cat started attacking.”

The leopard was taken for observation at the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati.

“We believe the cat strayed into the area from a nearby hillock, maybe in search of food,” a forest department official said.

The hills around Guwahati are covered in dense jungle and have been home to leopards and other big cats for centuries.

However, in recent times large areas of the jungle have been cleared to make way for the construction of houses – disrupting the big cats’ natural habitats.