But the wild cat, who fell in the gungy reservoir surrounded by a 14ft wall, was given a lucky escape after rescuers put a ladder in the water.
The beast, who had been languishing in the tank for more than an hour, duly climbed out and disappeared into the forest near the tea estate in Sangatram, north-east India.
YouTube link.
A team of foresters from the Sukna Wildlife Squad had earlier tried to pull the leopard out of water with a net. But the animal refused to let himself be caught. The ladder was a lucky last resort.
