Tanahun: Fourteen children were killed and 19 others injured in leopard attacks over the past five years in Tanahun district, according to the District Forest Office.
Assistant forest officer Raj Kumar Shrestha informed that the deceased children were between the ages of 1.5 and 11, with 10 boys and four girls among them. In the current fiscal year of 2022/23, there have been four leopard attacks resulting in the deaths of two children and injuries to three others.
Likewise, 77 domestic animals, including 69 goats, six pigs, one cow, and a calf, were killed in 42 cases of animal attacks. However, four barking deer and one python were rescued, while three leopards and an Asian palm civet were found dead.
Chief of the Division Forest Office, Komal Prasad Kafle, explained that human encroachment on the habitats of wild animals has endangered them, leading to human-wildlife conflicts. Wild animals wander into human settlements in search of prey and water, which can lead to attacks on humans and domestic animals.
To minimize human losses from wild animal attacks, the forest office has implemented initiatives such as building ponds for wild animals at each local level. As a result, human losses from wild animal attacks have decreased to some extent.
Comment