Leopard found in Indian court

AHMEDABAD, India: Employees at a courthouse in India had a fright on Friday after a young leopard was spotted prowling around the building, authorities said.

“Seeing the leopard the court staff ran out of the room and locked it from outside and informed us,” G.A. Zala, a forestry official in the western state of Gujarat, said.

With an excited crowd gathering outside the court in the town of Chotila, the big cat was eventually found after three and a half hours hiding under a cupboard.

The animal, thought to be around two to three years old, was tranquilised and was due to be released in a forested area.

There are an estimated 12,00014,000 leopards in India, which are frequently killed when they stray into villages.