Dehradun: Two people, including a five-year-old boy and a 60-year-old woman, were killed in separate leopard attack incidents in Uttarakhand, officials said on Wednesday, triggering fresh concerns over human-wildlife conflict in the hill state.
In the first incident, a leopard attacked a child in Sindravani village of Rudraprayag district on Tuesday afternoon. The animal reportedly snatched the boy while he was playing in the courtyard of his house and dragged him into the nearby forest. Following the incident, teams from the district administration and the forest department launched a large-scale search operation.
Rudraprayag Sub-Divisional Magistrate Sohan Singh Saini said seven teams carried out an intensive search for several hours. The mutilated body of the child, identified as Daksh Bisht, was recovered from the forest around 11 pm. The body was later sent for post-mortem examination.
Authorities said preventive measures are being stepped up in the area. Cages will be installed at vulnerable locations, and continuous patrolling by forest department teams has been ordered to track the leopard. As a safety precaution, the district administration has declared a two-day holiday for eight schools in the affected area.
In a separate incident, a 60-year-old woman, identified as Ganga Devi, was killed in a leopard attack in the Juna Estate area of Bhimtal in Nainital district. Officials said she had gone into the forest on Monday to collect fodder for her cattle but did not return. Her body was found deep inside the forest on Tuesday morning, bearing clear signs of a leopard attack.
Villagers alleged that leopard movement had been reported in the area for a long time but effective action was lacking. They demanded immediate steps, including the installation of cages, to prevent further attacks.
Nathuwakhan Forest Range Officer Vijay Bhatt said forest and police teams reached the site soon after receiving information. He added that patrolling has been intensified and efforts are underway to trap the leopard.
