An Indian man is being hailed a hero after a video showing him singlehandedly fighting off a leopard with just a stick went viral. According to the Times Of India , the man in the video has been identified as Balram who works as a security/watchman in the village of Olani in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
According to reports, Balram confronted the fully grown, wild leopard after the animal strayed into the village from the nearby jungles. In the video, you can clearly see Balram standing up to the leopard as it readies itself to attack him. The stand-off lasts for over 40 seconds. When the leopard attacks, Balram counters by hitting it with a stick (or a lathi as it is called in India) with full force. The leaopard, even after being hit doesn’t retreat and jumps on to Balram and attempts to maul him. However, villagers who had assembled nearby threw stones at the animal. One of the stones hit the leopard and the animal runs for cover. Eventually, the leopard was driven out of the village – back into the jungles.
The leopard attack occurred during the evening hours earlier this week on Monday according to reports.
According to Mahendra Sharma, a school teacher who lives in the village, the leopard had created panic in the area. He added that every villager has thanked Balram for the way in which he stood up to the leopard. He even requested officials to honor Balram’s efforts with a reward.
“Even the armed forest officials seldom muster courage to fight a beast.”
A government official from the District where this leopard attack happened has confirmed that a proposal to give Balram an award would be taken up with senior government officials.
India has over the past few months seen several incidents of wild animal attacks and as reported previously, people have not been as lucky as Balram, the watchman.
[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]