A leopard is not what you'd expect to find hidden behind pans on a kitchen shelf, but that's exactly the shock one woman had in India on 7 May.

Nethra, who lives in Muddapur village in Chitradurga district or Karnataka state, got up at 5:30am local time and went to her kitchen.

If she was still sleepy that surely didn't last long, as the leopard growled at her and she ran outside.

She locked the door as she did so, before realising that her husband Chidanand was still sleeping inside

She then called her neighbours who woke him up and opened the door slightly so he could slip out safely.

Soon hundreds of neighbours had gathered and the Karnataka Forest Department had despatched a team to her home.

The leopard was anesthetised by the team and taken away in a cage for release at Adumalleshwara forest range.

A forest department officer said the young leopard had entered the village to hunt but was probably chased by a pack of dogs and to escape them it had entered a house whose back door was not properly locked.

On May 7, Nethra who lives in Muddapur village (Chitradurga district, Karnataka state, India) woke up at 5.30 am and went to her kitchen. A leopard which was hiding on her kitchen shelf growled at her. She ran outside and locked the front door from outside and then realised that her husband Chidanand was still sleeping inside. She called her neighbours all of who woke him up and opened the door a little to let him slip out safely. Hundreds of neighbours assembled in front of the house and information was sent to Karnataka Forest Department which despatched a team. The leopard was caught anesthetized and taken away in a cage for release at Adumalleshwara forest range. A forest department officer said the young leopard had entered the village to hunt but was probably chased by a pack of dogs. To escape them it had entered a house whose back door was not properly locked.