Bhubaneswar: A seven-year-old boy was killed in a wild leopard attack in Odisha's Nuapada district, a forest official said on Tuesday.
The deceased boy, identified as Dambarudhar Dharua, was mauled to death by a leopard when he was playing in his village Godhaspara inside the Sunabeda Wildlife sanctuary in Nuapada district on Monday evening.
A cow was found dead near the cowshed of one Arjuna Dharua of another village inside the wildlife sanctuary on Tuesday. From the injury marks on the body of the cow, it was suspected that the wild leopard had killed the cow, a forest official said.
When the boy along with other children was playing in the village, two leopards strayed into the village. One of the leopards pounced upon Dambarudhar and dragged him into the forest, said the deceased's father Human Dharua.
"After noticing the leopard dragging my son, we chased it. Later, we found his body inside the jungle. Two leopards were there," he said.
Nuapada ranger Gajendra Pal Singh Mathur said, 'The leopard grabbed the boy by his neck and dragged him into the forest. After getting information, wildlife watchers and villagers have recovered the body.'.
Proposals will be submitted to the state government for fencing of vulnerable villages located inside the wildlife sanctuary and setting up solar street lights so that the villagers can watch the movement of wild animals, he said.
The deceased’s family will get a compensation of Rs 6 lakh. An amount of Rs 60,000 will be given to the family immediately for performing last rites, the forest ranger said.
"We have earlier noticed movement of only one leopard inside the sanctuary. Now, the villagers are saying two leopards are there. We will examine," said Mahadev Badaik, divisional forest officer (DFO), Nuapada.
The repeated attack of the leopard in human habitation also indicates that it might not be able to get sufficient food (prey animals) inside the jungle, he said.
Published 31 October 2023, 10:18 IST