A 12-year-old boy sustained injuries during a leopard safari at Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) on Friday afternoon, after a leopard leapt onto the safari bus and clawed his arm through a meshed window.

The incident occurred while the boy, a resident of Bommasandra, was on a wildlife tour with his family. He was seated near the window in a non-air-conditioned bus and had reportedly placed his hand close to or outside the mesh-covered opening. That’s when the leopard, which had been sitting near the roadside, approached the bus and struck.

Video footage captured by visitors in another vehicle shows the leopard initially calm, before suddenly moving toward the bus, jumping up, and clawing at the boy through the window. The unexpected attack left other tourists in the area shocked. Onlookers in the background can be heard asking passengers, especially children, to stay quiet as the driver quickly drove the bus away from the animal.

Injured Boy Rushed to Hospital

The safari vehicle was immediately brought back to the BBP control station, where the injured boy was given first aid. He was then rushed to a hospital in Jigani for further treatment. Though his injuries were minor, authorities acknowledged that the situation could have escalated into a life-threatening incident.

BBP officials confirmed the incident and addressed public concerns. “The boy was injured during a non-AC bus leopard safari trip at the BBP. The leopard, while climbing up the bus, clawed the boy’s hand which was placed in an accessible place,” said BBP Executive Director AV Surya Sen.

The park management has been accused of negligence, and a medico-legal case has been registered. According to Sen, all safari buses have protective mesh coverings, including for camera slots, and drivers are instructed to remind visitors not to extend their limbs beyond the confines of the vehicle.

BBP Vows Stricter Safety

“He was given first aid and was checked for other injuries. Precautions are taken for proper covering of all the windows using mesh, including camera slots, and strict instructions are given to drivers operating non-AC bus safaris,” Sen added.

Forest, Environment, and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre expressed concern over the incident and instructed BBP authorities to take additional safety measures. He directed officials to enhance the meshing around all bus windows and to ensure photography openings are secure. He also suggested issuing printed warnings on safari tickets to educate visitors about the risks.

“All parts of the buses, including photography slots, must be properly meshed,” Khandre stated, adding that tourists must be given clear instructions before the safari begins.

Leopard Scare Not New at BBP

This is not the first time a leopard has interacted closely with tourists at BBP. In a similar incident last year, a video went viral showing a leopard attempting to climb the side of a safari bus and looking inside through a window. Fortunately, that event ended without injuries, as the driver managed to move the vehicle away in time.

Following the recent incident, public reactions on social media were swift. Several users questioned how such lapses in safety continue to occur, while others criticised both the park authorities and the parents. “Don’t mess with the environment and wild animals,” commented one user. Another asked, “What was the safari guide doing if the child had his hand outside the window?” A third pointed out that many tourists opt for non-AC buses due to the humid climate and often keep windows open for ventilation, inadvertently increasing risks.

Bannerghatta Biological Park, which houses South India’s first and India’s largest leopard safari, spans over 20 hectares. Despite strict guidelines and infrastructure, these back-to-back incidents have raised urgent calls for improved safety practices for wildlife tourism.