- Driver saves sleeping farm workers from leopard attack.
- Incident occurred near Navegaonbandh National Park, Gondia.
- Viral video shows leopard scared by car horn.
Maharashtra: A chilling video showing a group of farm workers narrowly escaping a prowling leopard in darkness has gone viral across social media.
The footage shows labourers fast asleep in the open after a long day of work, completely unaware of the big cat stealthily approaching them. Just as the leopard makes a sudden dash toward the group, a passing driver repeatedly honks his car horn, scaring the leopard and prompting it to run away.
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Alert Driver Saves Sleeping Workers In Maharashtra
The dramatic incident occurred near Navegaonbandh National Park in Maharashtra's Gondia district.
The alert driver, identified as Manish Nevare, was out on a night drive with friends when he spotted the wild cat stalking the sleeping labourers. Sensing danger, Nevare repeatedly sounded the car horn and followed the animal in his vehicle, NDTV reported.
The video shows the leopard's spotted coat illuminated by the car's headlights as the horn startles the animal, forcing it to abort its attack and run into the dark.
Safety Concerns Mount
Gondia district is currently in the peak paddy harvesting and threshing season, drawing numerous migrant workers to the region to help with the agricultural work. The group involved in the encounter had travelled from Punjab with paddy-threshing machines and set up camp near a Forest Department colony in the Navegaonbandh National Park area.
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The incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of workers camping outdoors close to forest areas, especially at night, when wildlife may roam surrounding areas.
In response, Forest Department officials have advised everyone living or camping near forests to exercise extreme caution after dark.