Mentally Challenged Teenager Killed in Suspected Big Cat Attack in Uttar Pradesh
A tragic incident occurred in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, where a 15-year-old mentally challenged boy lost his life in a suspected big cat attack. The attack took place near Khairatia village, close to the Belrayan forest range within the North Kheri forest division, on Tuesday morning.
Discovery of the Body and Initial Investigations
The boy's body was discovered inside a thatched roadside structure approximately 2 kilometers from the forest, situated along the Indo-Nepal border in Kheri district. Forest officials have indicated that the animal responsible for the killing has not yet been positively identified. Due to the hard soil surface at the site, pugmarks could not be traced, leaving open the possibility of either a leopard or a tiger being the perpetrator.
An official detailed the injuries, noting that part of the boy's neck had been consumed, and deep claw wounds were evident below his chin. The victim, identified as Rajkamal, had a history of leaving home without informing family members, often walking out at night on previous occasions.
Villager Protests and Official Response
Following the incident, villagers, led by farmer Sukhvinder Singh, staged protests, accusing the forest department of inaction regarding the movement of stray leopards in the area. The protesters initially prevented police from removing the body for a postmortem examination.
Upon receiving the information, a team of forest, police, and administrative officials, including SDM Rajiv Nigam and Nighasan circle CO Shivam Kumar, arrived at the scene. Authorities managed to calm the situation by assuring the family of compensation totaling Rs 5 lakh. This amount includes Rs 4 lakh from the state disaster relief fund and an additional Rs 1 lakh from the forest department.
Officials also promised residents that cages with live bait would be set up to capture the animal. DFO Chaudhary confirmed that monitoring teams have been deployed to trace the animal, and camera traps will be installed to aid in its identification.
Context of Big Cat Attacks in the Region
This marks the third fatal big cat attack reported this year within the North Kheri forest division. On January 12, a 35-year-old woman named Usha Devi was mauled to death by a leopard in Mahraj Nagar village near the Nighasan forest range while she was collecting fodder in a field. In another separate incident, Munshi Ram, aged 35 from Chhedia village, was killed by a tiger while gathering dry grass for thatching near the Pipraula forest pocket.
The forest department continues to face challenges in managing human-wildlife conflicts in this region, emphasizing the need for enhanced safety measures and community engagement to prevent future tragedies.
