Magadi (Ramanagara): A leopard was severely injured, and a motorcyclist suffered a broken leg in a collision on Thursday evening. The incident occurred around 7:30 PM on the Ramanagara-Magadi main road in the Jodugatte area of the Saavanadurga forest region.
Kumar, a resident of Kuduru, was riding his newly purchased Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle from Ramanagara towards his hometown when the accident took place. As he was traveling through the forest area, a leopard suddenly attempted to cross the road from the right side. Startled, Kumar lost control of his bike and collided with the leopard, causing both to fall on opposite sides of the road.
Venkatesh from Guddahalli, who was passing by in an auto-rickshaw, noticed Kumar and the leopard lying on the road. He immediately called for an ambulance, police, and forest department officials.
Kumar was initially taken to Magadi Government Hospital for treatment and later transferred to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru for further care due to his broken leg.
Forest Range Officer Chaitra stated, “The leopard sustained a severe blow to its hip. Despite its injuries, it managed to crawl back into the forest after some time. We estimate it could have only gone about 300 meters with those injuries. We’ve called in wildlife experts to locate the leopard, tranquilize it, and provide necessary treatment.”
The incident has highlighted the increasing human-wildlife conflicts in the area, prompting calls for better safety measures on roads passing through forest regions.
