Leopard kills 3-year-old boy in J-K's Reasi

In a second such incident this month, a leopard has killed a three-year-old boy in a remote hilly village in Mahore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, officials said Tuesday.

A massive search operation has been launched to track down the beast which had earlier struck in Kansoli village of Mahore belt on December 8 and had mauled to death 8-year-old Rehmat Ali, they said.

The big cat ventured into Jamlan village from the nearby forest Monday evening, pounced on Wasim Akram when he was outside his house and dragged him away, the officials said.

They said the locals, aided by police teams, chased the leopard but only managed to recover the half-eaten body of the victim.

The mutilated body was handed over to the family of the deceased after completion of legal formalities, the officials said.

They said the incident triggered panic among residents who staged a protest against the Wildlife department for alleged failure to take necessary measures to avoid such killings.

A team of wildlife officials have also reached the village and joined the search teams comprising locals and police personnel, the officials said, adding that multiple traps have been laid at a number of places to capture the leopard.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old teacher Mohammad Naseer was critically injured when he was attacked by a bear in a forest in the Balakote area of Poonch district.

Naseer, a resident of Nar Mankote village, was attacked by the animal while he was moving through a forest area on foot, the officials said.

They said he was rescued by some people and admitted at a government medical college hospital here for specialised treatment.

The incidents of man-animal conflict usually register an increase during winters when wild animals venture into human habitats in search of food.