A 12‑year‑old girl’s return from the doctor turned deadly in Run Nagar village, Lakhimpur Kheri, on Friday. Preet Kaur was attacked by a leopard as she walked home with her aunt, and she later died from her injuries.
The incident happened north of the Nighasan forest range, a zone that has already seen three other fatal leopard attacks in the past 10 days. Police and forest officials rushed to the scene after the aunt sounded the alarm. Villagers arrived, forcing the animal to flee, but they could not revive Preet.
Forest Range Officer Bhupendra Singh confirmed the death and said patrol teams were on the ground investigating the crash. “We got the alert and our team is here,” he said. DFO Naveen Khandelwal added that the department is setting traps and camera units to track the leopard. Meanwhile, DFO Sanjay Viswal warned that leopards are more active in the Sardanagar Range, citing 7‑8 spotted near settlements. He blamed the tall sugarcane crop for providing cover.
This latest tragedy follows three earlier attacks in the district:
* September 27 – 9‑year‑old Radha in Raja Rampurwa village
* October 5 – 35‑year‑old Munna Lal in Lokai Purwa village
* October 7 – 7‑year‑old Anaya in Khambarkhera village
All happened within the Lakhimpur Kheri district, sparking fear among residents. People point to the dense sugarcane surrounding the forest as a safe haven for leopards, causing the animals to wander closer to homes and schools.
Over the last year, forest officials recorded more than a dozen leopard‑related deaths or injuries in the area. In response, they have stepped up patrols, installed cages, and deployed camera traps in high‑risk zones. Yet the human‑wildlife conflict continues to challenge both safety and conservation, raising urgent questions about how to protect villagers while also protecting the leopards that roam the region.
Source: ianslive
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