This week, schools and offices in Meerut were shut as a leopard wandered through the city. It caused widespread panic, though in the photographs it looked rather terrified itself.

Over the past few years, incidents of animals straying into Indian cities have been reported more frequently. On the face of it, the reason is self-evident: humans are rapidly encroaching on forests and  wildlife habitats are being destroyed at an increasing pace. But the rising awareness of straying animals is also technological. Everyone seems to have a camera phone with which to capture a beast on the city streets.

Here are some recent incidents you may have missed.

1. Leopard stalks Meerut


The leopard was sighted at a hospital, a cinema hall and an apartment complex. Though forest rangers and policemen are looking for the big cat, it's still at large.

2. Elephants storm Mysore


In 2011, two elephants separated from their herd found themselves in Mysore. While one ran behind a crowded state transport bus, the other went on a rampage and destroyed everything in sight. Several people were injured  and one man was killed.

3. Tigress scares Uttarakhand


For much of this year, a female Bengal tiger has been slinking through villages in Uttarakhand, where it has mauled and killed 10 people in a period of seven weeks. The recent victims include a teenage girl and a fifty year old man. The tigress is said to have escaped from the nearby Jim Corbett National Park.

4. Gaur stomp through Ooty


Rita Bannerjee’s film ‘Gaur in My Garden’ (2012) explores wild bison straying into Ooty, in the Nilgiris. The film follows a herd that had moved out of its natural habitat, and is now a frequent sight in the town. Several people have been killed by gaur in recent years.