7-yr-old boy critically injured as leopard tries to drag him into forest in Odisha’s Nuapada

Nuapada: A minor boy aged around seven years was attacked today by a leopard at Kodopali village under Dharam Bandha outpost limits in Nuapada district.

The deceased has been identified as Nilakantha Bariha, who belonged to the village.

According to a source, the boy was attacked while he was playing in front of his house. However, the leopard left the spot for some or other reason leaving the minor boy critically injured. Kodopali is located around a kilometre away from Siliaribahar village under Sunabeda sanctuary.

The boy was bitten on his ear by the leopard. Locals are in panic following the incident.

“As Kodopali is located in the buffer zone, wild animals are often entering the village in search of food,” Khariar divisional forest officer (DFO) Sushil Kumar Tripathy said.

Worth mentioning, in another incident earlier in the day, a leopard killed a woman near Siliaribahar village under Sunabeda wildlife sanctuary in Nuapada. This was the second death in a week.