Nagpur : In the third suspected fatal attack by big cats in Chandrapur district this month, an eight-year-old girl from Awalgaon village of Bramhapuri tehsil was reportedly killed by a leopard or a tiger on Sunday morning.The victim, Khushi Bandu Thakre, was taking a morning stroll along with some friends when she was attacked by the animal, around 500 meters from the village, according to Deputy Conservator of Forest Kulraj Singh.
Reports suggest that the girl had stopped to pick up her dupatta that had fallen along the way when the predator pounced upon her and dragged her into the bushes. The remaining children started shouting in panic following which the animal left the child on the spot and ran away.
While villagers claim the animal was a tiger, Singh said, “There are no tell-tale signs of whether it was a leopard or a tiger. We have taken swabs from the spot and will send them for a forensic test. Only after that, we will be able to say if it was a tiger or a leopard.”
The incident comes exactly a week after one Shalu Dongarwar from Pawanpar village was killed in what was then stated to be a leopard attack. “We have taken swabs from there too. Since the trap cameras setup in the area got no pictures of the animal, we have to wait for the forensic test report to be able to say if the same animal is involved in the Pawanpar incident also,” Singh said.
On October 3, Tulsabai Kedar (62) was killed by a leopard at Arjuni in the buffer zone of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
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