Man Wrestles, Pins Leopard

A Jerusalem man wrestled a wild leopard to the ground and pinned it for 20 minutes after it jumped through an open window and into the bed with his family.

The man, who worked as a wildlife ranger and immigrated to the Middle East from the Netherlands, says he doesn't know why he attacked the wild cat with his bare hands, wearing nothing but his bed clothes.  He said he wasn't thinking, just reacting.

He apparently grabbed the leopard by the scruff of the neck and pinned him to the floor with his leg.  His son got a camera to record the event.  He held the cat for 20 minutes, until officials arrived to remove the animal.

Veterinary reports showed the cat to be in poor physical health, which the man says accounts for his being able to pin it.  The leopard may be tagged and released onto a preservation, as it was found to be underweight and with a degenerative joint disease, which may be why it wandered into town to begin with.

It was later discovered that the cat had already killed some neighborhood pets, including several housecats and a dog.