Inputs from Shekhar Ajekar - Pics by Prakash Studio
for Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (RD)

Karkala, Nov 14: An uninvited guest, a leopard from the jungle arrived in the urban area near St Lawrence Pilgrimage centre, Attur, which comes under the jurisdiction of Nitte village, on Monday, November 12 night. The leopard was found in an open well near the famous Attur church.

The leopard on its urban sojourn had eaten a pet dog which was chained in the courtyard of one Gulabi Poojarthy, on Monday night.  It was found to have fallen in their open well, when it was retreating to the jungle. 

Though the inmates of the house had heard dog barking in the night, none of them had woken up.  But when they woke up on Tuesday November 13 morning, the family found the carcass of the dog all along with the chain, being pounced by the leopard.   However, when the family members went to fetch water from the well, they found the leopard swimming in the water.

The news of leopard being trapped in the open well, spread across the village and drew large number of on-lookers to the spot. The forest department was informed along with the fire brigade.  The fire brigade personnel dropped a ladder into the open well and all of them waited for the leopard to make an escape from the well. 

However, the leopard did not respond to the idea.  But the effort of locals in dropping a large net succeeded in bringing the leopard out of the well, with the help of a rope.  The brave locals, Annayya, Lancy Roshan, Ashok, Jaya, Nagaraj, Noel Victor and Peter, played a major role in saving the leopard.  Once up, the leopard disappeared in the nearby forest.