An Indian woman has killed a leopard that attacked her near her village. Kamla Devi, 56, was on her way to fetch water from a canal in India's northern Uttarakhand state when the big cat jumped on her. She fought the animal for 30 minutes and finally killed it. She is now recovering in hospital. She has many deep bites and cuts on her body and three fractures on her hands. Ms Devi told reporters: "I thought I was dead but I did not lose patience and courage….I fought head on with it for almost half an hour. Then I understood it was dead." She said she tried to stab the leopard with the small sickle she carried for use on her small farm. She remembers smashing some of the animal's teeth during the struggle.

Doctors are surprised she survived the attack. Most people attacked by a leopard have almost no chance of surviving. Her doctor Abdul Rahul said: "She has two fractures on the right hand and one on the left. She also has deep injuries on her head and legs. There are bite marks all over her body." Another doctor said: "The condition of the woman is stable. We have not counted the number of stitches, but there must be more than 100." One of Ms Devi's friends said: "She is very brave. She attacked the leopard and took the fight head on." Lakhpat Rawat, a leopard expert, told 'India Today': "Walking for one kilometer after the attack, with blood oozing out from her body, speaks a lot about her strong willpower to survive."