KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — A brave mother from the Baiga tribe of the Badi Jharia village in Madhya Pradesh, India battled against a leopard and eventually saved her eight-year-old son.
Kiran, who proved incredible bravery by rescuing her son while fighting fiercely with the animal, managed to return alive with her son despite being hurt, reported India Today.
The incident happened on Sunday night in her village when the mother of three sat by a fire with her children outside their hut to keep them warm.
The village is situated in the buffer zone of the Sanjay Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh's Sidhi district, approximately 500 kilometres from the state capital Bhopal.
According to a senior forest officer, a leopard sprang out of nowhere and seized her kid Rahul in a split second with its jaws before fleeing into the forest.
Despite the leopard's unexpected grab of her son, she kept her cool as she locked her other children inside her hut before heading to the jungle where the leopard had taken Rahul.
The tiger reserve’s director Y.P Singh stated that Kiran tracked the leopard for nearly a kilometre and kept attempting to scare the leopard with a stick.
“The leopard probably got scared with the woman's courage and left the child.
“While Kiran immediately took her son in her arms, the feline attacked her.
“However, she overpowered the big cat with her valour,” he said.
The officials also said that the kid suffered injuries to his back, cheeks, and eyes, and his mother was also injured in the battle.
The forest department will cover all of their treatment costs.
Aseem Bhuria, a buffer zone ranger, admitted them to a primary health centre and provided immediate aid of Rs1,000 (RM56.33).
