Bahraich, January 20: An eight-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard while she was in the fields with her father in the Sujauli area of Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary, a forest department official said on Saturday. Divisional Forest Officer B. Shiv Shankar said Ayesha, a resident of Ayodhyapurwa village under Sujauli police station, was killed by the leopard on Friday afternoon.

Upon hearing her screams, villagers raised an alarm and the leopard ran away. But by that time the girl had died, the officer said. Forest department officials reached the spot along with forest workers and the Special Tiger Protection Force and found the mutilated body of the girl which was handed over to the police. Leopard Attack in Uttar Pradesh: Nine-Year-Old Girl Dies After Being Attacked by Big Cat On Her Way to Farm in Bijnor.

An immediate assistance of Rs 10,000 has been provided to the family of the deceased. After completing the formalities, permissible financial assistance will be provided from the government an official said. Leopard Attack in Uttar Pradesh: Nine-Year-Old Dies After Attack by Big Cat in Bijnor.

DFO said that to prevent incidents of human-wildlife conflict, people of the forest department and voluntary organizations are raising awareness among the locals.