Bhubaneswar, Feb 23 (Inditop.com) A leopard strayed out of a jungle and injured several villagers in Orissa’s Balasore district, a forest official said Tuesday.

The leopard had strayed out of the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary.

“The leopard had come out of the nearby sanctuary in search of food. When the villagers raised an alarm and started throwing stones at it, it attacked some villagers. Five of them have sustained injuries,” the forest official said.

There was panic for hours as the villagers tried to scare away the leopard, till forest department officials reached the spot. After hours of struggle, the forest officials managed to scare the leopard back into the forest.

The injured villagers have been admitted to a hospital.