Amreli: A seven-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard in Amreli district, prompting the authorities to set traps in the area to catch the animal, officials said on Monday.
The leopard attacked when the girl was accompanying her parents as they worked in a cotton field at Chitrasar village on Sunday evening, Rajula range forest officer G L Vaghela said.
The girl suffered serious wounds to her neck and died at a hospital in Jafrabad, the official said.
The forest department has formed eight teams and set up cage traps in the surrounding areas to capture the leopard, he said.
Rajula MLA Hira Solanki said he instructed forest officials to take immediate action to cage the leopard that attacked the girl.
“I have also demanded that the govt take proactive action, cage leopards (venturing into human habitat) and shift them to forest areas to avoid man-animal conflict,” he said in a video statement.
“Villagers are scared and concerned because of the increase in leopard attacks. They think twice before venturing into cotton farms in the region,” the legislator said. pti