Video Reveals Young Farmer Saving Leopard In Rural India

Video of a young farmer driving his motorbike with a leopard hog-tied over the rear wheel was initially thought to be footage of the man caught in the act of leopard poaching in India. It’s since been revealed that the man was actually saving the leopard’s life.

The man, Venugopal aka Muttu, from the Hassan District of the Indian state of Karnataka, found the juvenile leopard lying unconscious in the corner of his field. After observing the leopard for some time, Mr. Muttu concluded it was not well, so he summoned up the courage to intervene. He realized it was too exhausted to move, so he brought it back to the village on his motorbike.

Seeing their neighbor with the cat, the villagers immediately called the forest service who got to Muttu, learned of the situation, and sped the leopard off to veterinary care. Officials said the leopard is around 9 months old and appears to have wandered into the area looking for food when it became severely dehydrated.

The leopard is being treated for dehydration and would not have survived without human intervention. When asked about the way Muttu tied the leopard to his bike, Ashish Reddy, an official from the Hassan DCF, said the state was not intending to press charges as the leopard is in stable condition and there was no criminal intent behind Muttu’s actions.