Thirsty India leopard gets head stuck in pot Published duration 1 October 2015

media caption It took forest officials more than six hours to tranquilise and free the leopard from the metal pot

A male leopard spent five hours with its head stuck in a metal pot in a village in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan.

Local people told reporters that the animal appeared to have been foraging for water, and then got its head stuck inside the vessel.

The confused and frightened animal wandered around the village as residents took pictures and videos.

Wildlife officials eventually tranquilised the leopard and used a saw to remove the pot from its head. They told the local media that it seemed none the worse for its ordeal.

A recent wildlife census estimates that India has a leopard population of between 12,000 and 14,000 animals.

image copyright AP image caption The animal appeared to have been foraging for water when it got its head stuck inside the vessel

image copyright AP image caption Local people took photos and videos of the leopard as it wandered around the village

image copyright PTI image caption The frightened animal was stuck for five hours until forest officials tranquilised it and sawed the pot off its head