
This is the horrifying moment a fully grown leopard pounces on a forestry department official in a village in deepest India.
The big cat mauled six people after straying into the village from a nearby national park and becoming startled by curious humans.
The forest guards eventually managed to corner and successfully tranquilise the beast but not before it attacked one of their own men.

These pictures show the amazing scene as it unfolded in Prakash Nagar village, near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri, in Assam, north-east India.
Perched on corrugated rooftops and walls, the villagers watch the action in a mixture of horror and excitement.
The village, which is surrounded by national parks and is , sits in the slim section of India between Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
Leopards are occasional visitors to town - but happily there was a happy ending as the leopard eventually slipped into unconsciousness in an alleyway after a forest guard managed to connect with a dart.

Villagers grab a rooftop view to watch the excitement unfold in Prakash Nagar village
source: dailymail