In the early hours of Monday, a leopard killed a 16-month-old girl who was following her mother toward the temple. Itika Akhilesh Lot, a young child, was transferred to the Seven Hills hospital in Marol, Mumbai, but passed away en route.
“The mother of the victim had gone to a temple at 5.45 am on Monday near their house, and Itika followed her. She was attacked by a leopard. Many locals raised an alarm and the leopard ran away,” said Sanjay Gandhi National Park director G Mallikarjun.
Mallikarjun said the girl, a resident of Unit no 15, sustained serious injuries to her neck in the attack which led to her death..
Leopards frequently visit Aarey colony, which is a green area near to Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
With 26 leopards per 100 square kilometres, the national park in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region reportedly boasts the highest documented density of leopards in the world.
A four-year-old kid named Himanshu Yadav was also attacked by a leopard on October 4 while accompanying his father to a garba performance. He did, however, live.
According to Mallikarjun, after Itika’s funeral rites, traps for the leopard will be set.
The autopsy was performed at Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon, according to forest officer Narayan Mane, and the remains would be given to her family shortly.