In unusual video footage that went viral on Thursday shows a leopard advancing towards people in a friendly way and playing with them. This strange behaviour from a wild animal has raised concerns among wildlife experts and forest officials, while some speculate that the leopard may have been bred and therefore used to the presence of humans.
The private ownership of endangered cats, including leopards, is prohibited in India and also punishable.
In the video, the big cat was seen walking up to some people standing on a roadside. The footage was filmed at the Tirthan Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Some people pushed the animal to get away in fear, one stood still as the leopard approached and tried to climb him playfully. Another clip showed a man playing with the big cat. All this scene has shocked people on the internet.
As soon as the video of the Leopard’s peculiar behaviour started going viral yesterday, it got further attention when the same was posted by Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan on Twitter.
"Not able to read the behaviour of this leopard. Behaving strangely," he wrote, also criticising the behaviour of people standing around the leopard. "People are not behaving better though. Videos circulating since evening. From HP."
Mr Kaswan also added that the leopard looked like a domesticated one and may have escaped from some estate.
Another senior IFS officer Ramesh Pandey verified the same theory, "This is possible in case of hand-reared animals. Needs further investigation. The trend of keeping wild animals as a pet can result in such unusual recoveries or surprising sightings," Mr Pandey wrote, calling the trend "worrisome".
The officer further clarified that keeping Leopards as a pet in India is a crime.
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Footage of the playful leopard has been viewed by thousands on social media, which has left many amazed.
While several people also criticised the group filmed playing with the animal as "foolish" and "dumb".