Woman injured in leopard attack in Uttarakhand's Pauri

Pauri, Nov 21 (PTI) A woman was seriously injured after a leopard attacked her in a field here on Friday, officials said.

This is the second leopard attack in the district in the last 24 hours.

The incident took place in Dobhal Dhandari village, about 25 kilometres from the district headquarters, where 60-year-old Bhagwani Devi Negi was cutting grass in a field when a leopard attacked her.

The leopard fled after another woman nearby raised an alarm, but by then, Negi had sustained serious injuries.

Villagers immediately took the injured woman to the Pauri District Hospital, where she is undergoing treatment.

On Thursday, a leopard attacked another woman in Koti village in the Khirsu block of the district.

The frequent leopard and bear attacks in the area have caused panic, with villagers and social activists demanding relief from the Forest Department.

In response to growing concerns, residents of Koti village blocked the Pauri-Srinagar National Highway near Khandah for nearly two hours, protesting against the Forest Department, public representatives, and the government. Chief Development Officer Girish Gunwant and the police cleared the blockade after persuasion.

Following the latest attack, Garhwal's Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Abhimanyu Singh visited the site, where he faced protests from the villagers.

Singh assured that the Forest Department is working to reduce human-wildlife conflict, and said that teams are dispatched immediately when incidents are reported.

He said the area is being patrolled continuously, camera traps are being installed, and necessary permissions have been sought to capture or shoot the leopard.

Meanwhile, due to the presence of a leopard, the government primary school in Bansai Talli, Pokhara block, was shifted to the village Panchayat building for the safety of children.

The Education Department took this decision after a request from the school management committee and the headmaster. Classes will resume in the school building once the situation is deemed safe.

Between November 11 and 16, three leopard attacks occurred in the Pokhara block, resulting in one fatality and two injuries. PTI DPT HIG HIG