Kashmir

3-year-old boy mauled to death by leopard in Qazigund village

KULGAM — A three-year-old boy was mauled to death by a leopard in the Qazigund village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Wednesday evening, officials said.

The boy, identified as Sehran Manzoor Bumla, son of Manzoor Ahmad Bumla, was taken from his home earlier in the evening, an official told the news agency KNO, adding that after a search involving police, civil administration and the wildlife department, his half-eaten body was discovered.

Imtiyaz Naik, Wildlife Incharge for Kulgam, confirmed the incident to KNO, saying, “Unfortunately, we have found his body. He was taken by a man-eater leopard this evening,” he said.

The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community who have raised concerns over wildlife encounters in residential areas. — (KNO)