WATCH: Leopard Attacks Crowd After Being Called Over to Snap Photos

A riverside picnic in India descended into chaos when the group called to a nearby leopard, unwittingly inviting a ferocious attack that left three people injured.

A group of picnickers in the forest of Shahdol had a horrifying encounter with a leopard Sunday. The incident was captured in a now viral video, where the group is heard calling to a leopard lurking in nearby greenery. With a group member recording, they call "aaja aaja," which means "come, come," a request they presumably did not expect to unfold so violently.

Footage shows the large cat rushing out of the forest toward the group and becomes shaky in their attempts to flee as shouts of "run" can be heard. Three men were caught in the leopard's attack, one of whom can be seen running from the leopard when the animal leaps toward the victim, knocking him to the ground. Some members of the group ran back to help and the leopard is seen running away as the video ends.

The victims were hospitalized, and officials have issued an advisory urging people to avoid the forest area according to NDTV. Sub-divisional forest officer Badshah Rawat mentioned that a tiger attack had occurred recently in the same area, and authorities had already warned the public to stay away from the forest.

"Advisory has been issued," he said. "We have asked officials to alert villagers and other people not to go into the forests. A control room has also been set up to help people in such incidents."