Leopard Pounces On 12-Year-Old From Tree, Brutally Mauls Child To Death

A 12-year-old boy in India was mauled to death by a leopard while he was picking vegetables from his family's field in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

The leopard, which was hiding on a tree, pounced on the boy, before attacking him, The Times of India reported. As the child began to scream, people working nearby rushed to help. However, by the time they spotted the child, he was unresponsive and bleeding profusely.

The victim was taken to a community health center, but was later moved to a local hospital as the former did not have a facility for blood transfusion. The child died Monday while receiving treatment at the hospital.

Authorities said the incident took place one mile away from the buffer zone of the Dudhwa tiger reserve. Anil Patel, divisional forest officer, said his team found pug marks of an adult leopard in the area.

"The forest near the village is flooded and this leopard must have moved out of the forest in search of food as no big cat attack has been reported here in the recent past," he reportedly said.

Following the incident, forest officials urged villagers to move in groups and not allow children to step out alone.

Authorities said the family of the victim will be receiving a compensation of nearly $7,000, Ommcom News reported, citing IANS.

Recently, the number of animal-human conflicts has seen a rise as people have turned wildlife areas into farmland.

Last month, in the neighboring state of Madhya Pradesh, a 10-year-old's half-eaten body was found in a forest. Authorities said the child was attacked by a leopard when he had gone with his friends to graze cattle in a forest. The big cat was reportedly hiding in the bushes, while the victim and his friends were roaming around. The leopard suddenly emerged and jumped on the boy, dragging him away.

In another recent incident in Madhya Pradesh, a 2-year-old girl miraculously escaped from the jaws of a leopard after her grandparents fought off the animal. The family was sleeping on the floor of their house when the leopard sneaked into the backyard and tried to drag the child away.