Dehradun : Wildlife attacks are continuously increasing in Uttarakhand, controlling which remains a challenge for the forest department. Just yesterday, a 10-year-old child was killed by a leopard in the Gurjar colony of Maradi Chak in Dehradun. Speaking to ETV Bharat, Chief Wildlife Warden Sameer Sinha said that orders have been given to kill the big cat.
The incident took place n Kimadi area of Dehradun on the night of 25th February. The child was playing outside with his friends when he was attacked by the leopard which lay in wait in the bushes. When the noise was raised, the children and other people of Gurjar colony came out and tried to rescue the child. When the crowd gathered, the leopard ran away leaving the child there. However, the child could not be saved.
After this incident, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself summoned the officials of the department and after this the Chief Wildlife Warden has given orders to kill the big cat responsible for the death of the child. To catch it, Forest Department teams have installed cameras and traps in the area.
On February 23, the forest department team killed a leopard that struck terror in Maletha area of Kirtinagar development block of Tehri district. This leopard had attacked 9 people within two days. It had attacked Meghna Chauhan, Sumitra Chauhan, Sampada Devi, Basant Giri, Prakashi Devi of Naithana and Dang villages. Whereas, Forest Department SDO Anil Painuli, forest workers Mahavir, Guddu and Tej Singh were also injured in the attack.
At the same time, the forest personnel had fired four bullets to kill this leopard. The fourth bullet hit and killed the big cat. When asked about it, Chief Wildlife Warden Sameer Sinha said there will be an investigation on the matter.
It should be noted that under Zone 11, only the Chief Wildlife Warden has been given full power regarding predatory wild animals. But the way the cases of attacks are increasing, the forest department staff are under pressure to ensure public safety. On the other hand, questions are also being raised on the manner in which the leopard was shot dead by forest personnel in Maletha and hence orders have been given to investigate the matter. In this case, it was already visible in the video that Guldar was very tired or ill. He could have been caught.
