Lily Shanagher
A leopard lunged at men after bursting into a shop selling alcohol in India.
Security camera footage of the store in Todaraisingh, Rajasthan, captured the animal leaping over the counter and pouncing on Sanjay Gurjar, 25.
The shopkeeper managed to shake off the leopard, which launched itself twice at him and grabbed his back, attempting to bite him, before he managed to run off, locking the animal inside.
The big cat was then seen prowling around the empty shop, knocking over boxes before hiding under a shelf.
A second piece of footage taken in the storeroom shows the leopard lunging at a different man, Fateh Lal Koli, 40, knocking him across the room and to the floor before it dashes over the shelf and after Gurjar.
Gurjar suffered claw injuries to his hand, shoulder and nose, while two other men also sustained injuries.
The leopard had attacked a forest ranger volunteer on Sunday morning, officials told Indian media.
The ranger had been investigating reports the leopard had been seen in bushes at 8.45am (Indian time) when the animal attacked him.
The animal then travelled into the northern town, where it entered the alcohol shop and attacked its second and third victims.
A rescue team reached the town about 2pm and launched a five-hour operation to track and capture the leopard.
Police cleared a cordon around the shop and shut the main market before calling in a specialist animal rescue unit. Officials said the leopard was a five-year-old male that will be given medical checks before being returned to the wild.
Virender Singh Krishniya, deputy conservator of forests, said the animal was believed to have strayed into the town in search of prey after leaving surrounding forests.
The Telegraph, London
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