Another leopard attack 7 year boy killed

26-03-2012
Another leopard attack 7 year boy killed
Times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/Another-leopard-attack-7-year-old-boy-killed/articleshow/12410145.cms

A seven-year-old boy was killed by a wild cat at Savani village of Veraval taluka of Junagadh on Saturday night. This was fourth incident of a human falling prey to a leopard in the last two months in this district. In the past one week alone, three children have been killed by a leopard in Veraval. However, forest department officials are not sure if the victims had been mauled by a man-eater on the prowl or were killed by different leopards in the area that is their habitat.

The deceased has been identified as Kano Dalsukhbhai, son of migrant workers.

Aradhana Sahu, deputy conservator of forests, (Junagadh), said the incident occurred on Saturday night when Kano was asleep with his family. "His body was found from a nearby sugarcane farm. We have placed cages to nab the leopard,'' she said.

"Labourers are vulnerable to leopard attack because they sleep in the open. Besides, most of the migrant labourers eat non-vegetarian food and it too attracts leopard in the area," she added.

Forest officials said labour department should force contractors to provide safe shelters to the migrant workers. It is estimated that there are over 3,000 migrant workers in and around Veraval taluka. Most of them work in sugarcane fields.

Earlier on Wednesday, a leopard had killed an eight-year-old boy in Savani village. Eight-year-old Asmita Bharad was killed by a leopard in Inaj village, some 2 km away from Savani village, on Tuesday night. They, too, were children of migrant workers hailing from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.