A nine-year-old boy from the Bahriach district in Uttar Pradesh was killed in a leopard attack on Monday.
The child was identified as Rajveer, a third-grade student from Ananda Nagar Village in the Katarniaghat forest range.
According to PTI, The incident took place around 9 pm when the boy reportedly left his house to fetch water from a handpump located on a nearby road. Divisional Forest Officer Apoorva Dixit said the leopard quietly emerged from the sugarcane fields behind Rajveer’s house and attacked him. Hearing screams, villagers rushed to the area, where they found the leopard carrying away the boy. The animal abandoned the child and fled after it was chased with sticks.
The child was seriously injured in the incident and was taken to a community health centre by his family and other villagers. However, he reportedly died on the way. The doctor at the centre confirmed the death.
DFO Dixit said that the body has been sent for post-mortem. He added that the forest department provided immediate financial assistance of ₹10,000 to the family. Compensation for the attack as per the law is underway.
"Due to flooding in the area, wild animals are moving towards higher ground and nearby villages," Dixit said.
He said that leopard pugmarks have been found near the attack site. Furthermore, camera traps along with cages have been installed to identify and capture the leopard.
In a separate incident, a three-year-old girl, identified as Lado, was attacked by a leopard late in the evening on Sunday.
The attack also reportedly took place in the Bahraich district, in the Jodwa village, which comes under the Nanpara range. The toddler was rushed to Bahraich Medical College and later referred to Lucknow for better treatment.
"According to information received on Tuesday, the girl is safe, and her condition is out of danger in Lucknow," said Sundaresh, DFO of the Bahraich Wildlife Division.
The latest incidents follow another attack that took place last week, where a 28-year-old farmer was killed. Two other attacks in August occurred in the Dharmapur and Motipur ranges, which left two dead, including an eight-year-old boy.
Bahraich district in Uttar Pradesh has a history of violent animal attacks. In 2024, a series of wolf attacks claimed the lives of at least 10 people and injured at least 30. The UP government launched Operation Bhediya to capture the wolves. The wolf attacks decreased but were followed by multiple leopard attacks over the past two years.
The area directly overlaps with the Kataniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, making it particularly susceptible to wild animal attacks. Sugarcane farming, which has grown rapidly near the forest lines, also serves as good hunting cover for the wild animals.
