Sending staff at the school scurrying to safety, a leopard entered the Vibgyor School at Kundalahalli near Whitefield Bengaluru in the early hours of Sunday morning. Some people including staff and a TV channel's cameraperson were injured as the leopard kept moving from one area to another and came in confrontation with them.
The CCTV cameras of the school captured the leopard roaming inside the school at around 4am in the morning. Though forest department officials reached the school early morning and almost caught the leopard, but around 6 pm it escaped from the school building to the swimming pool outside.
The leopard, which was frantic by then, could be seen running through the premises, jumping at people standing in its way. Wildlife expert and conservationist Sanjay Gubbi who had come to the spot to help officials was also caught unawares. As the leopard rushed towards him, Gubbi tried scaling the wall. But the leopard pulled him down and attacked. Gubbi warded the leopard away using the binocular he had in his hand.
Officials of the Forest Department and the police were finally able to give the leopard a tranquilizer shot after almost 14 hours. Ending the suspense and tension, the leopard was finally caught and shifted out of the school by night.
During the rescue operation, nine persons were injured as they tried to capture the leopard.
Earlier in January, a leopard was spotted with three of her cubs in Kumbalgodu near Kengeri.