A 5-year-old boy was killed on Tuesday in the northern state of Uttarakhand. One day earlier, in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, a 10-year-old girl died after being attacked.
News channel NDTV reported that the boy, named only as Piyush, had been on his way home in the village of Nishni when a leopard attacked and dragged him to a nearby field.
Divisional Forest Officer Lalit Mohan Negi said villagers had raised the alarm and the leopard ran away into nearby forests. Piyush’s body was found shortly afterwards.
The forestry department is now placing a cage in the area in a bid to trap the leopard, Negi added.
The 10-year-old girl, Seema Kumari, was killed in a similar attack at about 5 p.m. on Monday.
She had been picking vegetables on her family’s farm in Nausar Gumtiha village when a leopard pounced and dragged her into the forest, reported news site ThePrint.
Villagers gave chase and surrounded the big cat, prompting it to drop the wounded girl in a field. Seema later succumbed to her injuries, according to ThePrint.
Divisional Forest Officer Akashdeep Badhawan told the news outlet that forestry officials were patrolling the area amid concerns the leopard could return.
Villagers have been told to move in groups and financial assistance has been offered to Seema’s family, he added.
Newsweek has contacted the Indian Forest Service and the Asian Leopard Specialist Society for comment.
In September, The Indian Express reported that a leopard killed a man and critically injured his wife while they slept in Gujarat state, western India.
Raju and Jasuben Chogle were asleep in an abandoned hospital near the village of Jambuda in Visavadar district when the leopard approached. Raju Chogle died after being bitten in the neck, according to the Express.
In February, a leopard was stoned to death by a “mob” of 200 people in the region of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The leopard was targeted by locals after it was spotted wandering near Hattian Bala village.
The big cat died as a result of excessive bleeding. Distressing photos were shared online showing the leopard with a rope around its neck.
The Wildlife Protection Society of India says 450 leopards have died in the country so far this year, with 148 of the deaths attributed to poaching or seizures. Last year, it recorded 614 leopard deaths, with 182 caused by poachers.
The World Land Trust, a U.K.-based charity, estimates that 3,000 leopards in India were killed for their skins and organs between 1994 and 2010.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature, which compiles the red list of threatened species, has designated the leopard as “vulnerable.” It has said there may now be fewer than 10,000 mature leopards in India.
