How would you feel if a leopard comes near you in the middle of the jungle? It would be an understatement to say that we'd all be scared out of our wits! But, what if the big cat starts playing with you, like it's a friendly doggo? As unbelievable as it may sound, something exactly like this happened in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. For those of us who weren't there to witness this rare phenomenon, it was all captured on camera!
The friendly cat
The video of the Leopard playing with the locals sent the social media into a frenzy! Many pictures and videos featuring the big cat are going viral from the Tirthan valley of Himachal's Kullu.
Take a look:
According to media reports, the wildcat kept walking around the car and interacting with the people. This went on for an hour and dozens of people got down from their cars and to pat the young leopard, as if it's domesticated.
What really happened?
It is assumed that the Leopard might have come from the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) to get away from the snowfall in the higher regions.
While the video may be amusing to the netizens, the unusual behaviour of the leopard has raised some concerns.
According to the forest department (Bhupinder Singh Rana) of that region, this is a very crucial age for a year and a half old Leopard in which they are in a semi-wild condition. He told the media that it is not yet capable of hunting the other animals, as he is still learning. However, he could have attacked anyone, specially children out of habit and it needs help.
Some people also said that the leopard may not be well, tranquilized, or injured. Definitely, this was a surprising encounter which is very rare and can lead to many questions.
On one hand where the wild animals are forced to leave their habitat because of the problems they are facing, humans out of habit find another source of entertainment.
What do you think about this? let me know your opinion in the comment section below.
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