Indian Forest Department Captures Suspect Leopard After Fatal Attack on 8-Year-Old Boy

A day after aneight-year-old boy was killed in a leopard attack in Junnar taluka—the third fatal attack on a child—the Forest Department on Tuesday evening captured a leopard at the same spot in Mangrul Pargaon village. Samples collected from the boy’s wounds and from the captured leopard have been sent for DNA analysis to confirm whether it was responsible for the attack. The Junnar Forest Division has seen a sharp rise in human–leopard conflict in recent weeks, with three people — including two children — getting killed between October 12 and November 1 and several more injured in leopard attacks. Rohit Babu Kapare (8) was killed by a leopard in Mangrul Pargaon village of Junnar taluka on Monday morning around 11.30 am. “Multiple teams from the Forest Department were deployed at the location and in the surrounding areas for heightening patrolling. 15 trap cages and 10 trap cameras were installed in the area. One of the traps was at the exact location in Mangrul Pargaon village where the Monday morning attack had taken place. Around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, a leopard was captured in that cage. The leopard is a male aged between five to six years. It is highly likely that it is the same leopard, as this animal tends to return to the same location. The samples of the leopard have been taken. Samples collected from the boy’s wounds and from the captured leopard have been sent for DNA analysis to confirm whether it was responsible for the attack. Meanwhile the leopard has been sent to the Manikdoh Leopard rehabilitation centre,” said an officer from the Junnar Forest Department. In the aftermath of the incident on Monday, the Forest Department had sought permission to eliminate the leopard involved in the attack.