Tuesday, 31 OCTOBER 2023 | PNS | BAGESHWAR
A two-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in Gangolihat area on Monday. The incident took place in the Kothera village of Gangolihat Tehsil in Pithoragarh district. According to sources, the boy Anshul was playing in the courtyard of his maternal grandparents when he was attacked by a leopard at about 4 PM. The family members realised what had happened after they saw blood in the courtyard. The youth of the village went towards the forest in search of the child. The villagers found the child in an injured condition about half a kilometre from the house. The injured boy was taken to the community health centre where he was declared dead by the doctor. The boy’s body was taken by the police for necessary formalities. On receiving information about the incident, the Forest department team also reached the village. Ranger Manoj Sanwal said that a cage will be set up in the area on Tuesday in an attempt to catch the leopard responsible for killing the boy. The Forest department personnel will also step up patrolling in the village.
It is pertinent to mention here that human-wildlife conflict involving leopards continues to pose a major threat to people in the rural mountainous regions of the State. The villagers state that the authorities have so far been unable to effectively check the human-wildlife conflict.
