Leopard kills eight-year-old boy in Junnar

Pune, Dec 15 (PTI) In the latest incident marking the escalation in the human-animal conflict, an eight-year-old boy was killed by a leopard in Junnar tehsil of Pune district in Maharashtra on Monday. The big cat hiding in the bushes pounced on Rohit Kapare at a farm while his mother was working nearby in Mangrul Pargaon village, police said.

Forest officials said they have sought permission to eliminate the feline involved in the attack.

Junnar forest division reportedly has more than 1,000 leopards. The shrinking prey base and other factors are forcing the big cats to stray into human settlements in the region, dotted with sugarcane farms, over the last few months.

Three people, including two children, were killed in attacks by leopards in the last two months, sparking angry reactions among locals.

Last month, forest officials eliminated a leopard involved in a previous attack on a boy. PTI SPK NSK