Leopard goes on the attack after straying into village

This is the horrifying moment a fully grown leopard pounces on a forestry department official in a village in deepest India.

The big cat mauled six people after it strayed into the village from a nearby national park and became startled by the curious humans.

The forest guards eventually managed to corner and successfully tranquilise the beast but not before it attacked one of their own men.

These pictures show the amazing scene as it unfolded in Prakash Nagar village, near Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri, in Assam, north-east India.

Perched on corrugated rooftops and walls, the villagers watched the action in a mixture of horror and excitement.

Kanchan Banerjee, a forest ranger of the Sukna Wildlife Range, told The Hindu newspaper: 'It was spotted near a house in the morning by villagers who raised the alarm, and this startled the leopard.

'With the villagers trying to chase it, it tried to flee and injured five of them in the process.

'Then, the leopard took shelter in an abandoned house.'

During the forest guards' attempt to capture the beast alive, the leopard - which weighed up to 198lb (90kg) - critically injured one as he tried to tranquilise it in the house.

It then fled into the bushes.

Three policeman armed with batons and knives eventually caught the animal after it leapt on rangers as they approached it.

The leopard was tranquilised and fell into unconsciousness as it made its way into an alley. 

It was taken to a veterinary centre in Sukna but died from its injuries.

Forest department officials believe the animal wandered into the village from either the Mahananda forest reserve or the Baikunthapar range.

Prakash Nagar, which is surrounded by national parks, sits in the slim section of India between Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.

16 dalmatian puppies born to one tired mother - who was also one of 16

Owners of a dalmation who gave birth to a rare, huge litter of 16 spotted pups have had to have a  letter signed by vets to confirm the unusually large brood.

Bitch Milly, who was coincidentally one of 16, gave birth to the huge haul of puppies six weeks ago.

Owners Lisa and Terry Elvins, from Church Stretton, Shropshire, said registering the pups with the Kennel club had proved difficult because no-one believed Milly had had such a large litter.

Mum-of-three Mrs Elvins said veterinarians couldn't believe the size of the haul of puppies when they performed a caesarian operation on Milly.

She said: 'During the caesarian the vet pulled out eight puppies and gave a sigh, so we thought that was it - but there were still eight more to go. The vets were amazed.

'It's really unusual to have so many puppies in one litter and the Kennel Club actually don't believe us 

'We have had to get a signed letter from the vet confirming it was 16 puppies in one letter so they can all be registered.'

It's all the more amazing as the bitch Milly was one of 16 puppies herself.'

The family are all hard at work taking care of the pups which will be sold on to new homes, however Mrs Elvins said they have decided to keep one - named Maisie.

She said:'Everyone loves having the dogs around - my daughter Becky had her 21st birthday party recently and the puppies were a really big hit, everyone wanted to see them.

'It is really hard work looking after 16 dogs in the house as someone always has to be around them at feed time and as they are puppies they eat quite often. 

'But at the same time it is lovely and rewarding.

'We are keeping Milly and one of the puppies Maisie, but the rest are all available to loving homes.'

St Bernard in balmy Bangkok: Mighty Milo struggles in the heat

Spare a thought for Milo, the two-foot tall St.Bernard struggling to cope in the heat.

While the St.Bernard originates from the Swiss Alps and was initially bred as a rescue dog, Milo resides in Bangkok, Thailand, where he doesn't really have need of such a warm coat.

The sweltering heats of 33C yesterday were taking their toll on the pooch, who was spotted out padding the streets for a walk with his owner.

He looked desperate for a drink of water, but was able at least to use his mighty tongue to regulate his body temperature.

As all children learn, dogs' tongues becomes larger during exercise because of increased blood flow and tend to hang out of the mouth. 

Thus, when a dog pants, its quick shallow breaths cause moisture on the tongue to evaporate - thus cooling the entire body.

Beastly Brutus gives tourists a scary snap

The tourists had paid for a close-up view of crocodiles – and when this beast burst from the water they certainly got their money’s worth.

For when it comes to crocs, they don’t come much bigger than Brutus.

Lured by a tour guide dangling kangaroo meat from a pole, the 18ft, two-ton monster was, er, snapped by photographer Katrina Bridgeford, who was on the Adelaide River cruise with her family.

‘It got the adrenaline going,’ Australian Mrs Bridgeford said. ‘It was so close you could almost touch it.’

She recalled that when her son Dylan, 11, saw the massive creature rise out of the water he had only two words to utter - 'Holy crap!'

Brutus is missing his front leg following what is believed to have been a confrontation with a shark in the river's estuary - leaving many people to wonder just how big the shark was.

'When it came up out of the water there were a lot of "Oos" and "Ahs",' said Miss Bridgeford.

'I wasn't expecting anything like this. I couldn't believe how close it got to us.

'If you had put your hand out you would have been able to touch it - if you'd dared.'

Jumping crocodile cruises are a major tourist attraction in the Northern Territory, where the Crocodile Dundee movies, starring Paul Hogan, were shot.

Thousands of the monsters live in waterways around the Darwin region, resulting in the local government erecting signs in tourist areas warning people not to swim or wash their vehicles in the water.

They are also told not to camp near rivers because crocodiles roam up to a mile inland.

Several people have been killed by the reptiles over the years.

Three people were taken by crocodiles in northern Australia in 2009 alone, including an 11-year-old girl who was playing with friends in the Black Jungle Swamp near Darwin.