A deeply distressing incident unfolded in Azad Kashmir’s Hattian Bala district, where a leopard entered a residential area at night and dragged away an 8-year-old girl from the courtyard of her home, leading to widespread alarm in the community.
According to police reports, the predator struck under the cover of darkness and snatched the child in front of her family. Shocked and terrified, the relatives and villagers launched an immediate search operation, scouring nearby fields and forested areas in hopes of finding the girl.
Tragically, after a three-hour search, her lifeless and mauled body was discovered in dense bushes close to her home. The horrifying nature of the attack has left the local population in fear, especially in villages near the Line of Control (LoC), where wildlife encounters are becoming more frequent due to animals descending from forests in search of food.
The community is now urging urgent action from both wildlife and security agencies. Locals are demanding the deployment of protective measures to prevent such attacks in the future and safeguard children and families living in remote and forest-adjacent regions.
Authorities have confirmed the launch of an investigation and are coordinating with wildlife experts to track down the leopard and mitigate future threats. Efforts are also underway to assess whether similar wild animals have been seen near other settlements.
The tragic death has reignited calls for better wildlife
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