A 10-year-old boy was killed after a leopard grabbed him by the neck, according to reports. The horrific incident took place at a forest range in the Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The child was believed to have left his home in Babaganj village at around 5.30pm.
A leopard then grabbed the boy by his neck, just 300m away from the village. It’s reported that the lad was dragged towards bushes before locals rushed to him, forcing the predator to release the boy and flee.
Unfortunately, he passed away.
Forest range officer Mobin Arif, says that the tragedy which occurred on Thursday, 23 July is “the fourth fatality in Kheri district due to big cat attacks in the last 11 days”.
Fellow officer Bhupendra Singh said that forest teams had been deployed and CCTV cameras have been installed around the area to monitor the animal’s tracks. Officers have also set traps to capture the animal.
He said: “Two cages with live bait have also been placed to capture the animal. Pug marks found at the spot confirmed the involvement of a leopard in the incident.”
The victim’s family are expected to receive Rs 5 lakh (approx. £3,890) in compensation, as well as Rs 5 lakh (approx. £3,110) from the state disaster relief fund and Rs 5 lakh (approx. £777.50) from the forest department.
Other recent deaths include tiger attacks on a 60-year-old, a 50-year-old and 45-year-old.