Leopard Drags 3-Year-Old Out Of Home, Child's Half-Eaten Body Found

In a horrific incident, a leopard stole a three-year-old boy from his house in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. The child's half-eaten body was later recovered from the bushes nearby.

According to local reports, the incident took place in a village in Magadi Taluk in Ramanagara. Residents were asleep when the leopard stealthily sneaked into a house and picked up the boy. The door of the house was kept open because of the summer heat and the lack of electricity, local residents said.

When the family members found the boy was missing they started a search. During the early hours, people found the half-eaten body of the boy.

The forest department launched an investigation and set up a trap to capture the animal.

This is not the first time an incident related to a leopard took place in the state.

Last month, a leopard mauled a toddler to death when the child was playing in front of her home. The girl was dragged away during the vicious attack and her disfigured body was found a few meters from her home.

Following the incident, a shoot-at-sight order was issued for the man-eater leopard.

"So far, stray leopards have killed four people in the region. People are living in fear because of this rampant menace in Hebburu villages. Notwithstanding any opposition, I will order my officials to shoot the leopards at sight," said Forest Minister Anand Singh.

T V N. Murthy, an environmentalist, said, “If they shoot the wrong leopard, the behavior of the other leopards living in that area will also change, and it may also disrupt the gender ratio of leopards. If they kill a mother leopard, then there is a possibility that the cubs of that mother will turn into man-eaters, or the cubs may die without food.”