Woman fights off leopard to save mother-in-law in Uttarakhand

Dehradun: A woman saved her mother-in-law by fighting off a leopard that ambushed them near Ghengadkhal village of Jakholi block in Rudraprayag at 8am on Saturday.

Manghashi Devi and her daughter-in-law, Vineeta Devi, were cutting grass in their fields when a leopard allegedly attacked Manghashi. Vineeta fought off the big cat, sustaining injuries to her legs. Both were treated at the district hospital. Manghashi said, "We have never seen a leopard so close. She tried to save me, when it attacked her too."

Dr Ankita Yadav, who treated the two, said, "Manghashi had injuries to her eye, while Vineeta had injuries to both legs. They are out of danger."

Rudraprayag DFO Abhimanyu Singh said, "This is the first incident of its kind in South Jakholi. We are gathering to decide the next steps. We have deployed two teams to track the leopard."