10-year-old boy killed in leopard attack near MM Hills in Karnataka

The incident occurred near Nagamale in the Cauvery wildlife division, close to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district, officials said. According to forest officials, the boy had visited the Male Mahadeshwara temple at MM Hills with his family on Saturday, where they performed puja.

A 10-year-old boy died in a leopard attack in the district on Sunday, officials said. The deceased was identified as Harshith, a resident of Bengaluru, they said. The incident occurred near Nagamale in the Cauvery wildlife division, close to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills in Chamarajanagar district, officials said. According to forest officials, the boy had visited the Male Mahadeshwara temple at MM Hills with his family on Saturday, where they performed puja. On Sunday morning, the boy and his family were walking along a forest road to visit the Nagamale temple when a leopard suddenly attacked him, dragged him away, and mauled his neck, a senior forest officer said. Villagers and forest officials later recovered the boy's body, after which a post-mortem examination was conducted, he said. Forest department teams are trying to identify and track the leopard involved in the attack using thermal drones. Cage traps are also being installed along the route to capture the big cat and prevent similar incidents in the future, officials added.