Preliminary findings suggest that Balbir had stepped out to relieve himself when the leopard attacked him. (File)
A man was killed and five others, including two women, were injured after a leopard attacked them around 7 am in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district Wednesday morning. The leopard was later attacked by villagers and succumbed to the injuries.
Forest officials identified the victim as Balbir Singh, 39, who had come to Malwana village to visit relatives. The injured have been identified as Sahib Singh, Deena Nath, Champa Devi, Janit, and Rekha Devi. They were admitted to Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College in Nerchowk.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Vasu Deogar, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Mandi, said the incident occurred in the Balh area of Mandi, where no previous leopard sightings had been reported.
“Inspection of the leopard carcass suggests that the animal was in its old age, probably around 11 to 12 years. Its canines were found in a bad condition. Apparently, the animal ventured out of the core forest zone in search of easy prey such as dogs. There was dense fog in the area at the time. The possibility that the victim inadvertently came close to the leopard, or that the leopard found the victim in a squatting position, cannot be ruled out at this stage,” he said.
Deogar added that the leopard injured five people before it was attacked by villagers who gathered after hearing the cries of the wounded people. “When a wildlife rescue team reached the spot, the leopard was already injured. Our team rushed the animal to the veterinary hospital in Sundernagar, but it succumbed to the injuries and was declared brought dead. Post-mortem examination of the carcass is underway,” he said.
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), in a survey conducted in March this year, estimated that Himachal Pradesh has a leopard population of about 1,114, with a density of two animals per 100 sq km.