Three children have died in Leopard attacks in Madhya Pradesh State in India this week. The first two attacks occurred in the Chhindwara District on Sunday 7 January 2018, although there were two separate incidents, they occurred only 3 km appart, leading local people to suspect that they may have been carried out by a the same animal. The first incident happened in the village of Mohli Mata in the afternoon, when a Leopard killed a three-year-old girl and escaped with her body. Six hours later a ten-year-old boy, named as Harish Tekam, was killed in the village of Jholidhana in Raisen District, and again was carried away. The third attack happened on Wednesday 10 January in the village of Jhirpani, when a 12-year-old boy, was killed and again carried off. In a separate incident, a 60-year-old man, Lakshmi Chand, was injured in an attack by a Leopard while herding Cattle in the Morni Forest in Haryana State.
A Leopard in the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh State, India. Taj Hotels.
Leopards, unlike most animals., are natural predators of Humans and will often attack us if the opportunity arises. They are also extremely flexible in their habitat requirements, and can adapt to live in Human-modified environments quite readily. Humans will generally do their best to avoid this, and in areas where Leopards are found tend to take precautions, such as building secure barriers around villages or killing the Leopards. In India, rising populations of both Humans and Leopards means that the two species are increasingly coming into conflict. Since many people in India are also reluctant to kill any animals, problem animals, even ones which are known to have devoured Humans, are generally relocated to forest areas rather than being killed themselves.
