A minor boy was attacked by a leopard at the Lakhimpur Kheri-Bahraich border days after two children were killed in the big cat attack near Dhaurahra range of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
The boy was rescued by a few alert villagers. This incident was reported from Pathakpurva village near Bahraich range.
Thirteen-year-old Sikandar Lal was injured over the weekend — while parents said Sunday, police and forest department said Saturday. The forest department is also trying to verify whether it was the same leopard that attacked in Bahraich was involved in the Pathakpurva incident. They are checking the pug marks.
Sikandar, meanwhile, is out of danger though he has suffered superficial injuries.
Experts from Wildlife Trust India (WTI) have installed 15 camera traps in the area.
The UP Forest Department has also intensified its operation to trap the leopard. According to forest officials, two cages have been placed at separate locations with goats as baits.
“We can neither confirm nor deny whether it was the same leopard that injured a boy in Bahraich.
“The locals of Banshibeli village had assembled in large numbers with torches and tried to chase the animal a day before this incident. There is a possibility that the leopard may have changed its location after that incident,” DFO Anil Patel said.
He said that they will continue to monitor the area and wait for camera trap images to track the leopard.
