Wildlife Vet attacked by leopard trapped in a snare; Vows to return to treating wild animals after recovery

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka wildlife veterinarian Malaka Kasun Abeywardana considers himself lucky, after he was attacked by an injured leopard recently, and lived to tell the tale.

Dr. Malaka Kasun Abeywardana had been attending to a leopard that was trapped in a snare inside the Yala National Park, when he was attacked by the animal he was treating.

"We tried to tranquilize the leopard. At once, it broke off the snare and jumped at me. This all took place in a matter of seconds. After attacking me, the leopard ran back in to the jungle," he told exclusively to News 1st, adding that it was not his first time that he had a brush with death involving a wild animal.