A fearless dog has been caught on camera fighting off a leopard that tried to snatch its puppy from outside a building in India.

The daring rescue was captured on CCTV from an Indian Forest Service office in the northern state of Himachal Pradesh.

Footage shows the puppy sitting on a porch outside the office before the big cat pounces, trying to grab its prey and run.

However, the mother reacts quickly to the situation, attacking the leopard and forcing it to retreat back into the forest.

“The dog and its puppy was sitting in front of the office door when the leopard attacked the puppy all of a sudden,” said divisional forest officer Mrityunjay Madhav.

“The dog chased the leopard in a bid to save its baby from its grip.”

Mr Madhav added that the dog appeared to have injured the leopard during the tussle.

“We have learnt that an injured leopard was seen in the area,” he said.

“We have sent a report to the other forest departments about the incident and people have now been put on a high alert in the area and are advised not to go out of their houses at night as there is a leopard roaming around.

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“In case they go out they must keep a stick with them to fight the leopard if encountered."

A recent fire in the forest has forced wildlife to come further out of the jungle and into areas habited by humans.