DEHRADUN: A tragic incident unfolded in Bhoud village of Tehri district, Uttarakhand, on Monday afternoon, when a nine-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard while playing in courtyard.
The half-eaten body of the child was recovered from a nearby bush, about 30 meters away from her home.
According to sources, Poonam, the nine-year-old daughter of Rukam Singh, a resident of Bhoud village in Hindaw Patti, was attacked by a leopard while playing alone in the courtyard of her home. Her three siblings were inside the house at the time of the incident, while her mother, Usha Devi, was away at a nearby temple.
Following the incident, officials on Tuesday obtained approval from the Chief Wildlife Warden to issue a shoot-on-sight order for the rogue leopard, aiming to prevent further attacks and restore safety in the area.
In a heart-wrenching incident, Poonam was found dead in a gruesome state, lying among bushes approximately 30 meters away from her home.
The ordeal began when her mother returned from a temple visit around 4 pm to find Poonam missing, while her siblings, Priyanka, Prince, and Aaradhya, were asleep in their room.
A desperate search effort ensued, with the mother and neighbours scouring the area. The discovery of Poonam's slippers and bloodstains on the path raised alarms, and after an agonizing five-hour search, Poonam's half-eaten body was found in the underbrush, sending shockwaves through the community.
Forest Ranger Ashish Nautiyal told TNIE, "A cage trap has been set up in the village to capture the leopard, while trap cameras are being installed to track its movements."
Meanwhile, a protest erupted at the Devprayag tehsil headquarters, where public representatives and students demanded accountability for the rising leopard attacks. The protesters called for the removal of negligent forest officials and the installation of cage traps around the village perimeter to ensure the safety of villagers.
According to sources in the state forest department, Uttarakhand has seen a surge in human-wildlife conflict this year, with 19 people killed and 43 injured in separate attacks by tigers and leopards in the past six months. The majority of the victims were children.
The month of July alone has seen seven fatalities due to leopard and tiger attacks, sparking concerns over the growing menace of wildlife conflicts in the state.
