Representative image showing a leopard.
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Gir Somnath: A 44-year-old man was killed and another sustained serious injuries when a leopard attacked them in Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, a forest official said on Sunday.
The men were sleeping outside their houses near a farm when a big cat attacked them late on Saturday night in Kodiya village in Gir Gadhada taluka, the official said.
One person died on the spot, while the other man was rushed to a hospital where he is undergoing treatment, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Karan Bhatia said.
"The leopard first attacked Waghabhai Vaghela and dragged him some distance away when people raised an alarm. The animal killed Vaghela and escaped. It returned after some time and attacked another person, leaving him injured," he said.
The official said six cages were placed in the area to trap the big cat.
The attack has come a few days after an elderly woman was similarly killed by a leopard in the same region.
Diwaliben Jogia (76) was attacked and killed by a leopard when she was sleeping on the porch of her house in Fareda village on Tuesday night.
A seven-year-old girl was similarly mauled to death two days ago in the neighbouring Amreli district.
Increasing human-animal contact in the region has become a cause for concern, with local leaders calling for a proactive measure to cage leopards roaming near human habitats and shift them to forest areas.