Ram Yadav, 88, died after a leopard attacked him as he slept outside his home in Uttar Pradesh, prompting an intensified search for the animal and renewed warnings to villagers in the area.
An 88-year-old man has died after being attacked by a leopard which dragged him from the veranda of his home in the Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ram Yadav was asleep outside the property when the animal approached and pulled him around 500 metres before his family, alerted by the commotion, drove it off with sticks. He suffered severe injuries, particularly to his neck, and was later pronounced dead in hospital. Forest officials have since launched an operation to capture the leopard responsible.
The attack
According to the Times of India, the leopard is believed to have entered the village from nearby forest land in the early hours of Saturday before attacking Mr Yadav as he slept. Family members rushed from the house armed with sticks after hearing his screams, and the leopard fled back into the woods once confronted. Mr Yadav was first taken to Mihinpurwa Community Health Centre for initial treatment before being referred to the district hospital owing to the severity of his condition. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.
Response from forest authorities
Divisional Forest Officer Apoorva Dixit confirmed that an operation had been launched to capture the leopard and that patrols in the area had been stepped up following the attack. “Every possible effort is being made to ensure that no similar incident occurs again,” Dixit said. The Forest Department has deployed multiple teams to track the animal, with personnel searching nearby forests and villages where it is believed to have fled. Trap cages and surveillance cameras are also being installed as part of the effort to locate and capture the leopard.
Residents in surrounding villages have been warned not to sleep outdoors and to avoid entering nearby forests alone, particularly at night and in the early morning. Forest authorities have also urged villagers not to attempt to confront or chase the leopard themselves, asking instead that any sightings be reported immediately.
A wider pattern of attacks in the region
The incident took place in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Division, an area bordering protected forest that has seen repeated cases of leopards entering nearby villages. Bahraich district has recorded several such attacks in recent weeks. In one earlier incident, seven people were injured after a leopard entered a village, with a forest department worker also hurt during efforts to capture the animal. Earlier this month, a farmer was killed in a suspected leopard attack within the same wildlife division after disappearing while grazing livestock near the forest.
In response, forest officials say they are increasing day-and-night patrols in villages bordering the forest to reduce the risk of further attacks while the leopard remains at large. Public awareness campaigns are also under way, advising residents to remain vigilant, avoid isolated areas after dark and report any leopard sightings without delay.
Other recent leopard attacks
The incident follows several other leopard attacks reported in recent months. A tourist was mauled by a snow leopard in the Chinese resort town of Koktokay after approaching the animal while skiing off-piste, sustaining serious facial injuries. Separately, a 25-year-old zoo worker was left in critical condition after being attacked by a leopard at Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Israel, suffering severe neck injuries. According to Magen David Adom, paramedics found him bleeding and unconscious before he was taken to Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem for emergency treatment. Local police said officers had been dispatched to investigate that attack.
