File photo of a leopard. (Representative image)
Credit: iStock Photo
Jaipur: A leopard attacked and killed a woman working in the field in Udaipur’s Gogunda region on Friday, making it the third in a row in the past two days.
Hameri Bhil, 50, working in the field in Umriya village which falls under Gogunda region in Udaipur district, was cutting grass for grazing and had taken a few of her goats to graze. Some other farmers were also working in a nearby field.
The leopard, which has probably turned into a man-eater, attacked Hameri Bai from behind and dragged her behind the bushes. Although Hameri Bai screamed for help, people from the adjacent fields and surrounding villages could only throw stones at them from a distance, fearing an attack on themselves.
While they watched, the leopard then went away, leaving Hameri Bai behind and sitting watching from a hilltop nearby. When the leopard moved away from the area, the jittery villagers gathered enough courage to go near Hameri Bai but found her to be dead by that time.
On Thursday, the same leopard is suspected to have attacked two people in the region. 16-year-old Kamla from Undithal village and another person, Khumaram, who was working in the field in Bhevriya village, about three km away were attacked and killed. Kamla’s left hand was eaten, her entire body clawed into and her body was found deep inside the forest. Khumaram had also been brutally attacked and there were claw marks on his entire body too.
Demanding compensation, angry villagers had blocked the Gogunda-Jhadol road. They say the leopard is moving in the vicinity of their villagers, attacking human habitations and killing them randomly, and that the administration has failed to protect them.
Meanwhile, officials from the forest department, police and revenue department visited the villages and assured the villagers of protection and compensation.
Divisional Forest Officer, Udaipur North, Ajay Chittora said that camera traps and cages have been placed in the villages of Bhevriya and Amla ka Pani, and have appealed to the people to be careful. Efforts are also on to tranquillise the leopard and rescue teams have been called from Rajsamand and Jodhpur.
At least nine people have lost their lives in leopard attacks since May 2024 when an infant was killed in Delwara village in Rajsamand. The attacks have mainly been concentrated in the districts of Udaipur and Rajsamand. Leopards and panthers have also been seen in the state capital.
Wildlife experts say although leopards are reclusive by nature, they are increasingly venturing into human habitations due to the loss of their habitat, dwindling prey base and poaching.