Another Boy Killed in Leopard Attack in Gujarat

Junagadh: An eight-year-old boy was killed in a leopard attack in Datrana village of Mendarda taluka in Junagadh district on Diwali evening, triggering panic among residents and prompting the Forest Department to launch an operation to capture the animal. The leopard also collided with a motorcycle while fleeing, leaving a woman riding on it seriously injured.

The victim, identified as Divraj, was heading to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Datrana village to fetch water around 7:30 pm when the leopard suddenly pounced on him and carried him away. His father immediately chased the animal in an attempt to rescue his son but failed to save him.

The leopard dragged the child to a pit approximately 100 feet away, where he sustained severe injuries to his neck and died on the spot. The incident has plunged the family into grief amid the Diwali festivities.

In a subsequent incident, the leopard collided with a motorcycle travelling along the road while attempting to flee, causing an accident involving a couple riding the vehicle. The woman sustained serious injuries in the collision.

The Forest Department has deployed around six cages in the area to capture the leopard, with efforts underway to trap the animal.

H.D. Galchar, Range Forest Officer (RFO) of the Dedakadi Range, said the post-mortem examination had been completed and the child’s body handed over to the family.

A doctor from the Simade Animal Care Centre was also called to track the leopard using its footprints and attempt to tranquilise it. However, the attempt was unsuccessful, following which the department installed cages to trap the animal.

Datrana village sarpanch Rakesh Gohel said the incident occurred around 7:30 pm on Diwali. The boy belonged to a family of migrant labourers who had come from Madhya Pradesh for agricultural work.

The Forest Department team reached the spot soon after being informed about the attack.

Gohel said leopards frequently enter revenue areas, which he attributed partly to tree cutting in forest areas. He called for a comprehensive government plan to control the growing leopard population and prevent recurring incidents.

He also urged the Forest Department to undertake extensive tree plantation drives in forests and appealed to citizens to plant more trees to help prevent leopards from straying into populated areas. DeshGujarat