Leopard attacks on rise in Himachal's Hamirpur, residents gripped by fear

Leopard attacks against several people in various parts of Himachals Hamirpur district and their preying on dogs, goats and sheep have caused fear among the locals.On Friday, a pair of leopards male and female were sighted in the Gujrehra village of Chabutra gram panchayat of Hamirpur.Ajay Kumar, a villager, told PTI he had seen one of them sitting on a wall near his house.

Leopard attacks against several people in various parts of Himachal's Hamirpur district and their preying on dogs, goats and sheep have caused fear among the locals.

On Friday, a pair of leopards (male and female) were sighted in the Gujrehra village of Chabutra gram panchayat of Hamirpur.

Ajay Kumar, a villager, told PTI he had seen one of them sitting on a wall near his house. It started roaring when he saw people, he said.

Kamlesh Kumar, another local, was injured in a leopard attack on Thursday when he was returning home from a function in Jol-Kohta village of Dhamrol Panchayat. The area lies adjacent to Trilokpur Badaihar forest.

Another person was attacked by a leopard in Jol village. The incidents have since struck fear among locals, especially the children, who are considered an easy prey for leopards.

In another incident, a leopard attacked a motorcyclist in the forest on the Sulangwan-Bharadi road in Hamirpur.

Shubham, a local forest guard, urged people to avoid venturing into the forest alone and said cages would be installed if necessary.

A forest department spokesperson said it would send cages to all areas where leopards have often been seen roaming.