Last Friday, it was believed a young farmer had been caught in the act of leopard poaching in India—a crime that's easy to believe based on the amount of animal-human contact in rural areas of the country.

In reality, the film of the 25-year-old man driving his motorbike with a leopard hog-tied over the rear wheel came out as evidence of him actually saving the leopard's life.

The man, Venugopal aka Muttu, from the Hassan District of the Indian state of Karnataka, found the juvenile leopard lying unconscious in the corner of his field. After observing the feline for some time, Mr. Muttu concluded it was not well, and "summoning up his courage" he decided to intervene.

Face to face with the big cat he realized it was too exhausted to move, so he brought it back to the village on his motorbike. Seeing their neighbor with the cat, the villagers immediately called the forest service who got to Muttu, learned of the situation, and sped the leopard off to veterinary care.

"The leopard is around nine-month-old and must have strayed into the village seeking food which led to dehydration," said Ashish Reddy, an official from the Hassan DCF. "Our staff members have given him advice on what needs to be done about noticing wild creatures in the area."

When asked about the way Muttu tied the leopard to his bike, Reddy said the state was not intending to press charges as the leopard is in stable condition and there was no criminal intent behind Muttu's actions.

Human-animal conflict, particularly involving charismatic animals like elephants, tigers, and leopards, is always a major challenge for Indian communities and states to try and manage, wanting to protect both people and property, and the animals that share the rural territory.

The story is a heartening reminder that some rural folks are not only willing to make room for wild predators, but give them a helping paw as well.

WATCH live video of the rescue… 

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