Shadow of Fear in Uttarakhand Leopard Attacks Claim Two Lives, Including a 5-Year-Old:

The serene hills of Uttarakhand are currently gripped by a sense of dread as a series of fatal leopard attacks have left local communities mourning. In two separate and tragic incidents across Rudraprayag and Nainital districts, a five-year-old boy and an elderly woman lost their lives, reigniting the urgent conversation around human-wildlife conflict in the region.

A Tragedy in the Courtyard

In the Sindravani village of Rudraprayag, a typical Tuesday afternoon turned into a nightmare. Five-year-old Daksh Bisht was playing in the courtyard of his home when a leopard suddenly lunged at him. According to eyewitnesses, the predator dragged the child toward the dense forest before anyone could intervene.

District administration and forest department teams launched a massive search operation involving seven different teams. After hours of combing through the woods, the boy’s body was found late at night around 11 PM. The sheer brutality of the incident has left the village in shock, prompting the administration to close eight local schools for two days as a safety precaution.

The Forest Claims Another Victim

The second tragedy unfolded in the Bhimtal area of Nainital district. 60-year-old Ganga Devi had gone into the forest on Monday to collect fodder for her cattle. When she didn't return by evening, worried villagers started a search. Her body was discovered on Tuesday morning with clear signs of a leopard attack.

Local residents are angry, claiming they have been reporting leopard sightings in the area for a long time, but their pleas for cages and increased patrolling went unheeded. "We live in constant fear, and now we’ve lost one of our own because the authorities didn't act sooner," a local villager stated.

Authorities on High Alert

In response to these heartbreaking events, the forest department has increased patrolling and is in the process of installing cages in high-risk zones. However, for the families of Daksh and Ganga Devi, the loss is irreparable. The incidents serve as a grim reminder of the thin line between survival and nature in the hill state.