New Delhi: In an unfortunate incident, a 1.5-year-old girl, Eitikha Akhilesh Lot, had been mauled to death by Leopard a few meters away from her home during the early morning of Monday, October 24, 2022, at around 6:30 AM in Aarey colony of Goregaon district, Maharashtra. Reportedly, the girl went out with her mother to a nearby temple when the incident happened. She was rushed to the hospital where she was declared dead.
However, according to the Forest Department team, the animal has been caught and sent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali. A case has also been registered under Accidental Death Report and an investigation is also going on.
#UPDATE | Mumbai: The leopard that attacked a 1.5-yr-old girl y'day in Aarey Colony, Goregaon was caught today by a Forest Department team today. The leopard has now been taken to Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Borivali.
The girl died yesterday after being attacked by the leopard. pic.twitter.com/J9PZahN8KW
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2022
The family resides in Dairy Unit No. 15 in Aarey Colony. The village borders the recently classified forest area of Aarey, which is currently administered by Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).
The girl was taken to Marol's Seven Hills Hospital after the attack, where she died shortly after admission. A post-mortem examination at Siddharth Hospital determined that the cause of death was trauma and significant blood loss.
“The child was clearly ambushed. It could be that the animal is learning to hunt. There are five leopards usually seen in the area, including a female, a dominant male, and their three children from the same litter. Locals said they saw a leopard sitting in a tree just two nights ago, so it may have been prowling in the area. We are doing our best to identify, track and capture the animal. A leopard was seen at 11:30 AM crossing the Aarey Road near Aarey hospital just a kilometre away,” a forest department employee told media.
“This is the first instance of a leopard killing a human since 2017, when a young boy, the son of a forest department staffer, was killed at Film City. We are suspecting a sub-adult female is responsible for the attack,” G Mallikarjuna, director of Sanjay Gandhi National Park told media.
“A total of 12 camera traps have been installed in the area to monitor leopard activity, and two cages have also been installed to trap the problem animal. We are urging the locals not to let their children out when it is dark, especially since today is Diwali and children will want to be out for bursting crackers,” he added.
