Monday, 15 January 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
A boy was injured in a leopard attack in the woods near the Rispana river in the Chidonwali Khala area on the outskirts of Dehradun on Sunday evening. The 12-year-old child sustained injuries from the leopard’s claws on his head.
According to information from the police, they received information about a child being attacked by a leopard between 6 PM and 6:30 PM. The boy identified as Nikhil and some of his friends had gone to the wooded area to collect firewood when the big cat attacked the boy. The boys screamed in response. Hearing their screams, some people in the vicinity came to their rescue and managed to shoo the leopard into the woods. The injured boy was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he is receiving treatment.
On receiving the information, the local police team also reached the site along with a team from the Forest department. The personnel of the two departments were combing the area till late in the evening to search for the big cat. The Forest department has also placed a cage in the area in an attempt to catch the leopard. According to officials, they had not received information about leopard movement in this area from the locals so far. Following this incident in the Rajpur area, the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh has directed the Rajpur police station in-charge to step up patrolling in the affected area. Along with the Forest department personnel, the police are also alerting the local residents in the affected areas about the leopard.
It is pertinent to mention here that this leopard attack comes on the heels of another attack which took place in the Singli village in the Rajpur area on December 27. A four-year-old boy was lifted from the courtyard of his home by a leopard. The boy died in the leopard attack. Despite efforts to trace and capture the leopard, the authorities were unable to identify or trap the big cat responsible for the previous attack.
Experts point out that a combination of factors including the spread of human population to newer areas near forests and aspects specific to incidents may be responsible for the recent incidents. Leopards are known to inhabit the woods and nearby areas on the outskirts of the city but attacks on humans are not frequent.
