A tragic leopard attack claimed the life of a seven-year-old girl in a village near the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich district. The incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, has highlighted the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the region.
The Fatal Incident in Ayodhyapurva Village
The victim, identified as Almeen, was playing with her brothers outside their home in Ayodhyapurva village, located near the Sujauli forest range. Around 7:30 PM on Thursday, a leopard emerged from the nearby forest cover and attacked the child. The big cat swiftly dragged the girl into the adjacent sugarcane fields.
Family members and other villagers rushed to the spot after hearing the terrified cries of the other children. They immediately launched a search operation in the dense sugarcane crop. After nearly thirty minutes of frantic searching, they found Almeen lying unconscious. She had sustained severe claw wounds on her neck and a fractured trachea.
The villagers rushed her to a local community health centre. However, the doctors there could do little and declared her dead upon arrival. Forest officials confirmed that the body has been sent for a postmortem examination. The family will be provided with a financial compensation of Rs 5 lakh as per government norms.
A Pattern of Conflict and the Sugarcane Connection
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Suraj Kumar stated that this heartbreaking event is the fifth fatal case of human-leopard conflict reported in Bahraich district in 2024 alone. He pointed to a specific agricultural practice as a major contributing factor to the rising number of such incidents.
Kumar explained that in about 10 to 12 villages of the district, farmers cultivate sugarcane crops very close to their homes. These tall, dense fields create a continuous cover that extends right up to the forest boundaries. "Wild animals, including leopards, often perceive these vast sugarcane fields as an extension of their forest habitat. This provides them with easy and concealed access right up to human settlements," the DFO elaborated.
Forest Department's Response and Safety Measures
In response to the latest attack, the forest department has activated several countermeasures. Teams have been deployed in the area to monitor the situation and track the movement of the leopard. Camera traps have been installed to identify the specific animal involved, and nets are being placed along the periphery of the fields to deter further intrusion into the village.
The department has also issued an advisory, urging villagers to avoid cultivating sugarcane near forest boundaries. Furthermore, they plan to conduct awareness programmes to educate local communities on essential safety measures to coexist with wildlife. These measures include avoiding movement during dusk and dawn near forest edges, not letting children play unattended in vulnerable areas, and immediately reporting leopard sightings to authorities.
This incident underscores the critical challenge of balancing human livelihood with wildlife conservation in regions bordering protected forests, demanding urgent and sustainable solutions.
