Leopard attacks, injures four people in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh before being captured

Lucknow: Officials with the forest department in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh captured a leopard and later released it in the Dudhwa National Park after it reportedly injured four villagers and triggered panic among locals. The district shows a visible trend of the escalating man-animal conflict and is no stranger to big cats attacking cattle and even locals.

Going by reports, the leopard entered the village and attacked a farmer working in the field before climbing a tree. The injured farmer raised an alarm prompting other locals to gather at the spot and alert the forest department. A team of wildlife officials arrived at the scene and initiated efforts to bring the big cat down from the tree. However, the predator pounced a forest officer and a villager.

After injuring three people, the big cat ran inside a hut. Following the attacks, a tranquiliser team from Pilibhit was summoned to subdue the animal and managed to capture the animal. A team of veterinary doctors then examined the leopard before it was put inside a cage and transported to Dudhwa Tiger Reserve where it was reportedly set free by forest rangers.

In April of this year, irate villagers in the Bahraich district beat a leopard to death after it attacked and injured as many as six locals. While the forest department was alerted and reached the spot, the villagers had by then killed the big cat. A probe was also launched in the death of the 3-4 years old leopard whose body was sent for post-mortem by forest rangers.

Similarly, a 17-year-old boy was attacked and killed by a leopard in the Katarniyaghat forest area of Bahraich district in February of this year. Reports, at the time, had asserted that the victim was working in fields near the Nibiya Ghaudi village when the big cat pounced on him. Despite efforts by his family members who burst firecrackers in an attempt to scare the predator away, the boy could not survive the attack and succumbed to his injuries on the spot.