COIMBATORE: Following the death of a five-year-old boy in a leopard attack in Valparai hills on Saturday evening, the Tamil Nadu government has constituted a six-member committee to strengthen long-term preventive measures against human-animal conflict in areas outside the Tiger Reserve boundary.
On the recommendation of the Chief Wildlife Warden, the committee was formed under the chairmanship of Rama Subramanian, IFS, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, on Sunday. The panel includes the Deputy Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), the sub-collector of Pollachi, a representative of the Nature Conservation Foundation, the Municipal Commissioner of Valparai, and the Assistant Commissioner of Labour (Plantations). According to the government order, the committee will provide recommendations to ensure the implementation of both conservation and safety measures across Valparai.
The incident occurred around 7.15 pm on Saturday, when Saiful Alam of Assam was dragged by a leopard into the tea bushes at Iyarpadi Tea Estate, a privately-owned plantation in Valparai. The boy had been playing with three other children in front of his house while his parents were indoors. The forest department recovered the body, and sent it to Valparai Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
This marks the third consecutive wild animal attack in Valparai within six months. On June 20, a five-year-old girl from Jharkhand was killed by a leopard at Pachamalai Estate, and on August 11, an eight-year-old boy from Assam was killed by a sloth bear at an estate.