Dramatic footage shows an injured leopard attack a man trying to rescue it.
People from a village in Bageshwar, India, spotted the injured creature lying on the bank of a local river on October 3.
It can be seen lunging at one of the rescuers and biting his legs and hands.
Villagers had teamed to help move the leopard out of the water to safety.
While some used thick sticks to restrain it, one tried to hook a piece of rope over its feet to tie it up and safely transport it.
But as Jagdish Singh, 50, leans in to tie the knot, the leopard suddenly breaks free and grabs his hand.
The man pulls away from the leopard as it attacks him in Bageshwar, India by a river
A man seen off the footage has to use a stick to spook the leopard to stop biting the man
Singh topples over next to the creature – which begins to maul his limbs.
Quick-thinking villagers step in and drag him away while one hits the leopard with a stick to make it release its iron grip.
Singh was taken to hospital and is till being treated. It is not clear what his exact injuries are.
One villager criticised the rescue attempt, saying officials should have tranquilised the animal instead of instructing it be tied up.
Officials did succeed in tying up and removing the leopard after the incident.
The rescue was criticised as one said the animal should have been tranquilised before it was helped