Chamarajanagar: In a bizarre incident triggered by curiosity, a farmer was accidentally trapped inside a leopard capture cage for nearly four hours before being rescued by villagers in Gangavadi village of Yalandur taluk in Chamarajanagar district.

The man, identified as Kitti, a resident of Gangavadi, got stuck inside a cage installed by the Forest Department to trap a leopard that had been prowling the area. The incident occurred on Monday morning in a remote agricultural field near the BRT Tiger Reserve.

According to officials, a leopard had attacked livestock belonging to a farmer named Ramaiah on Saturday night, killing three animals. Following this, local MLA A.R. Krishnamurthy visited the spot and directed forest authorities to take immediate steps to capture the animal. Acting on the instructions, Forest Department personnel placed two cages in the village on Sunday—one in Ramaiah’s field and another in the land belonging to a farmer named Rudra, located in an isolated area with little human movement.

On Monday around 10.30 am, Kitti reportedly went alone to Rudra’s field out of curiosity to see the leopard trap. Unaware of the danger, he entered the cage, at which point the door automatically shut, trapping him inside. Despite repeated attempts, he was unable to open the cage from within. Adding to his distress, he did not have a mobile phone with him to call for help.

Kitti shouted for help from inside the cage, but his cries went unheard for hours as villagers, shepherds and farmers avoided the area due to fear of the leopard. With no one around, he remained trapped and helpless inside the cage. Around 2.30 pm, a group of shepherds and farmers passing at a distance noticed him and heard his desperate cries.

Though initially hesitant due to fear, some villagers gathered courage and approached the cage. Kitti pleaded with them to rescue him. The villagers immediately alerted Rudra, the landowner, and with the help of others, opened the cage and safely pulled Kitti out.Forest Department officials later confirmed the incident and said the man escaped without serious injuries. They cautioned villagers against approaching or entering wildlife capture equipment, stressing that such curiosity could prove fatal.