When the forestry department arrived hours later, they removed sheeting from the bathroom roof and stuck a camera inside to see what was happening.
They were shocked when they found the leopard and the dog sitting on opposite sides of the small room as if they had made a truce.
Sharing a video I received from the spot. After the leopard and dog were spotted inside the toilet in the morning, curious passers-by joined forest department officials to figure out how to catch the leopard and release it to the forest. pic.twitter.com/9dLzlxTUOO
— Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) February 3, 2021
It took several tries but, eventually, the forestry officials managed to free the leopard, who ran back into the surrounding wilderness.
Bollu was rescued from the bathroom without a scratch on him — and he was clearly grateful to be free.
who is now posing for photos. pic.twitter.com/LKy0s4viNx
— Prajwal (@prajwalmanipal) February 3, 2021
While nobody is sure how the leopard and the dog managed to coexist peacefully for so long, the dog’s hiding place may have worked out better than he’d even planned.
“Many are wondering why the leopard did not attack the dog,” journalist Prajwal Manipal wrote on Twitter. “Raghavendra, forest officer in Subramanya, says leopards prefer to attack in stealth but here, it may have been wary of the dog defending itself and the lack of a clear escape route.”Or, maybe, every dog has his day.