Watch: Cyclist escapes close call with leopard on highway in Assam’s Kaziranga National Park

A leopard attacked a cyclist on a national highway passing through the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The clip, which was captured by the CCTV cameras installed by the Kaziranga National Park Authority, was shared by The Independent that was then reshared by the Indian Forest Officer Parveen Kaswan on Wednesday.The incident took place at Haldibari Animal Corridor on 19 January, 2022.The video shows a person peacefully cycling along the road when a leopard emerges from the woods and pounces on him. Although it is unclear whether the animal mistook the cyclist for a prey or was it trying to cross the road when it was surprised by the appearance of the leopard, it retreats into the forest as soon as the cyclist falls to the ground.According to The Independent, park rangers have now urged commuters not to stop their vehicles in the area for safety reasons, warning them that the road is in a wild area where animals often cross.Other cyclists and cars passing on the route stops briefly after witnessing the attack but the man appears unhurt."The incident was captured in January in a camera installed by authorities at Kaziranga. Leopard was trying to cross the highway. Both were lucky. Leopards are very adaptable species. They live in farmlands, sugarcane crops, tea gardens and even in cities. On hills and in forests. Sometimes the interactions are safe but many times conflicts also arise. Imagine the chances of a cyclist being hit by a leopard on road," Kaswan tweeted.Watch the video here:Since being shared, the clip has lakhs of views. While one of the users humorously commented, “Actually it is hit and run”, another commenter dubbed the close encounter a ‘great escape’. Some users also criticised the other cars that were passing by the spot, for not helping the cyclist at that moment.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.