A villager catches hold of a leopard in Kashmir

Dalohari (Jammu and Kashmir) (ANI), March 3 (ANI): A Kashmiri villager has caught a leopard that had allegedly strayed into their village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mohammed Yousuf Gujjar reportedly caught the stray leopard single-handedly on Tuesday (March 02) in Dalohari village here, as it tried to attack his goats.

"It came out of the forest and started off towards the house. Dogs started barking. There were two people with the dogs who tried to divert its attention. The leopard was caught off guard and I tied its hind legs with a rope," said Gujjar.

Last week the leopard had attacked three villagers.

With their natural habitat depleting sharply, leopards often find their way into villages on the edges of forests, where they are either captured or killed.

The endangered wildcat is killed by poachers and hunters for its valuable and beautiful spotted skin and also certain parts like the bones and nails used in Oriental medicines.

In 1997, India had an estimated 7,300 leopards in the wild but conservationists say the number is now likely to be much lower than this figure. (ANI)