A female dog exhibited incredible bravery by warding off a leopard attack before returning to feed her puppies, despite suffering multiple wounds, in Mumbai's Goregaon.
CCTV footage of the attack shows the leopard sneaking up on the dog, Shakti, in Aarey Colony, and grabbing her by the neck, before trying to leave the spot.
Social worker Yamini Pal said the mother dog "somehow wriggled free from the leopard's clutches" as she was later spotted "having returned to feed her pups despite the injury".
Rescuers shared a video of Shakti on Instagram. Mumbai-based NGO World For All Animal Care also posted about the dog's incredible act and called for help to support her treatment.
According to World For All Animal Care NGO, Shakti's neck is "torn through" and has "suffered multiple deep wounds". She is in a "critical state" and needs "a special surgery to repair her oesophageal fistula".
The video further showed the dog attempting to eat and drink, but whatever it consumed would leak out of a hole in her neck.
The NGO said Shakti will require several external specialised veterinary visits to "recover from this gruesome nightmare".
The claimed the dog was "denied medical care at multiple places before WFA was called for help".
The NGO listed the cost of each treatment, including first aid, critical foster care, surgery, medication and dressing, deworming and vaccinations, blood tests, and sterilisation. "Shakti's surgery, treatment and care will cost INR 62,030," it said.
Shakti was brought to Andheri (west) to the Top Dog Pets Clinic where she was diagnosed with a ruptured oesophagus. Dr Makarand Chousalkar said there was an infection surrounding the neck perforation wound and that the feeding line was punctured, causing food to drip out of the hole.
A team of veterinary surgeons, including Dr Akshata Gulvady, Dr Barry Kalsy, and Dr Kaavya Sudhakar, later performed a surgery on Shakti, successfully suturing the injured portion of her food pipe.
Dr Chousalkar said that the surgery proceeded effectively, and the dog is currently recovering.
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