A video of the incident shows the animal lunging at the official and bringing him to the ground.A leopard attacked a forest officer during a rescue operation in Karnataka’s Davangere after the animal was struck by a car on a highway. The incident, captured on video, has since gone viral.The injured leopard was spotted lying on the highway after the accident, following which the forest department sent a team to rescue it. Officials tranquillised the animal before attempting to secure it and take it away for medical treatment.But before the sedative could fully take effect, the leopard suddenly sprang towards one of the officials.A video of the incident shows the animal lunging at the official and bringing him to the ground. His colleagues immediately moved in to help and used a stick to distract the leopard, giving the official a chance to get back up.The leopard then moved away from the group and crawled towards a grassy area beside the highway.The forest officials eventually managed to secure the animal and transport it to a hospital. It is currently undergoing treatment for the injuries sustained after being hit by the car, according to reports.Watch the video:LEOPARD ATTACKS FOREST OFFICIAL DURING RESCUE OPERATION IN KARNATAKAA leopard that was hit by a car on a highway in Davangere attacked a Forest Department official during a rescue operation.Forest officials had reached the spot and tranquillised the animal. However, before… pic.twitter.com/fqqfC3uPVm— Nagarjun Dwarakanath (@nagarjund) September 8, 2026 The incident drew a range of reactions from users. One person pointed to the dangers faced by wildlife as development and infrastructure expand. “This happens in rescues. And we will see these cases in increasing numbers due to human activities and infrastructure without a thought. Why can’t the govt build wild -life passes/corridors at-least?” the user said.Story continues below this adAnother user said the leopard’s condition should have been taken into account. “Visibly it’s clear animal is injured. Confusion and anxiety is therefore natural. @aranya_kfd is required to tranquillise and remove the animal to animal trauma center for treatment otherwise this leopard will lose its life,” the person wrote.“Charge the car drive his reckless driving only injured this leopard,” another user commented.However, some users questioned the way the rescue was handled. “Are these forest officials stupid? That’s a leopard (also injured!), not a street dog. Is this how they come to rescue a wild animal? With sticks to beat it up and shove it inside the van?” one person wrote.