4-year-old dies after leopard attack

RUDRAPUR: A leopard dragged a four-year-old boy for around 50 metres in his jaw before leaving him injured in Jakhan Upreti village of Gangolihat block in Pithoragarh district on Wednesday evening, a forest official said.

The victim boy, identified as Yash, who was taken to Pithoragarh district hospital initially succumbed to the injuries on the way being taken to higher centre in Haldwani. Earlier, a 7-year-old girl was dragged and injured by a leopard in the second week of this month in the same village.

Manoj Sanwal, ranger, Gangolihat forest range in Pithoragarh district said, “We rushed to the spot where man and animal conflict was reported but by then relatives of the boy had taken him to the nearest government hospital from there, he was referred to the government district hospital, Pithoragarh. On the way to higher centre in Haldwani, he succumbed to injuries.”

He said a team of forest department has been deployed to monitor the movement in the village. The forest official said their team will camp regularly in the village to avoid any man and animal conflict in the future.

According to officials, a leopard pounded on the 4-year-old and dragged him for 50-metres before being chased away by his father, Bhagwant Singh Mehra in Jakhan Upreti village in Gangolihat block around 80-km from Pithoragarh district headquarters. “A cage will be installed in the village after the permission of our senior officers,” said ranger. On May 11, a leopard had attacked and dragged 7-year-old Sashikala before leaving her in the same village.

She was attacked in the agricultural field when her mother Hema Devi was busy in collecting fodder for the cattle. She is recuperating these days.