A male leopard torn between a female companion and a chicken in a cage found the tasty snack too tempting to resist.
But it was not an easy decision to make.
While the bird lured him, his warning signals probably flashed suggesting that someone had placed a meal to trap him.
An unappetising prospect that also meant a definite separation from an attractive female he had been mating with recently.
But the chicken awaited and the enticement was strong. He tried to sneak into the cage but changed his mind. Dithering, he leapt in and ejected himself instantly before the trap door could close.
This happened a few times and the leopard grew increasingly impatient. He finally went for the kill and got trapped.
The drama was captured by a camera placed by Friends of Animal Welfare Trust, a not-for-profit organisation in Gujarat, India.
Following a complaint from the people of Khambla village that a leopard had been stalking them, the Animal Welfare Trust had placed a cage to catch it.
After the male leopard was captured, two volunteers went for a closer look, but retreated when they sensed the presence of a second animal.
As the male leopard sat cooling his heels inside the cage, his female companion appeared. Heartbroken, she spent sometime sniffing around the cage and went away.
Jatin Rathod of the Animal Welfare Trust said he was surprised to come across two leopards instead of one and talked to the villagers to piece together the story.
The female leopard had recently lost her two cubs in a fire accident at a sugarcane field. After the tragedy, she was ready to mate again and had found a male leopard, which unfortunately fell for the chicken-in-the-cage trick.
The male leopard was released in a nearby forest. A few days later the volunteers managed to trap the female leopard as well, which was also released in the same forest.
But it was not an easy decision to make.
While the bird lured him, his warning signals probably flashed suggesting that someone had placed a meal to trap him.
An unappetising prospect that also meant a definite separation from an attractive female he had been mating with recently.
But the chicken awaited and the enticement was strong. He tried to sneak into the cage but changed his mind. Dithering, he leapt in and ejected himself instantly before the trap door could close.
This happened a few times and the leopard grew increasingly impatient. He finally went for the kill and got trapped.
The drama was captured by a camera placed by Friends of Animal Welfare Trust, a not-for-profit organisation in Gujarat, India.
Following a complaint from the people of Khambla village that a leopard had been stalking them, the Animal Welfare Trust had placed a cage to catch it.
After the male leopard was captured, two volunteers went for a closer look, but retreated when they sensed the presence of a second animal.
As the male leopard sat cooling his heels inside the cage, his female companion appeared. Heartbroken, she spent sometime sniffing around the cage and went away.
Jatin Rathod of the Animal Welfare Trust said he was surprised to come across two leopards instead of one and talked to the villagers to piece together the story.
The female leopard had recently lost her two cubs in a fire accident at a sugarcane field. After the tragedy, she was ready to mate again and had found a male leopard, which unfortunately fell for the chicken-in-the-cage trick.
The male leopard was released in a nearby forest. A few days later the volunteers managed to trap the female leopard as well, which was also released in the same forest.