A family of monkeys were spotted causing a ruckus when they saw a drowning leopard, apparently unconcerned that the receptor of their attention could very well eat them. And, luckily for us, the whole encounter has been caught on film. 

One unfortunate leopard managed to find itself at the bottom of a 7.6-meter (25-foot) well in Rajasthan, a state bordering Pakistan in northern India. A group of monkeys playing nearby can be seen congregating at the top of the well, where they proceed to kick up a fuss.

In doing so, they alert worshippers at the nearby Baleshwar Temple, who go to see what's causing the cacophony. Below, they could just about make out the faint outline and blinking eyes of a big cat in need of some rescuing. 

The worshippers notified the forest rescue services, who came with a makeshift wooden ladder in hand. The ladder was then carefully lowered to the bottom of the well.

After some encouragement and a few failed attempts, the leopard made it out. The locals and forest rescue officials gave the animal some space so it could make its escape. 

Ranger Devendra Singh Rathore told press: "We were informed about the incident at around 6:00 am on the morning of June 11. We immediately sent a team of rescue officials at the spot.

"The rescue operation lasted for nearly an hour."

Officials suspect the leopard fell into the trap the previous night while it was stalking prey.

There may have been one particular onlooker a little less than happy the operation was so successful – the footage shows a dog running for its life as the leopard makes a run for it.  

"As soon as it came out of the well it ran towards the jungle. It didn't attack any villager or domestic animal in the village," Devendra added.

Truth be told, the monkeys' rescue efforts mostly amounted to standing around the well and looking at the poor cat, so it's perhaps a reach to say it was Good Samaritan-ship that enabled the leopard's escape. Nonetheless, the leopard can thank the monkeys (and of course the humans) for saving its life.

For more animal do-gooder escapades, you can watch a herd of elephants rescue a baby, a baby ostrich comfort a baby elephant, and humpback whale protect a woman from a nearby shark.