Residents of Baidati district’s Talloswarad region have been living in terror after a leopard killed a child at Makail in Udayadev-9 on Saturday evening, making her the 26^th victim of leopard attacks within the span of four years in eight VDCs of the district.

The latest victim of the leopard attack was seven-year-old Chanchala, daughter of local Hira Chand. The big cat savaged her while she was out playing in front of her house. Her body was found in nearby Dabur forest, 700 meters down, with her neck and face bitten. She was a 2^nd grader at Gangeshwor Primary School.

Saturday’s leopard attack, which occurred after seven months, has rekindled fears among the locals.  Residents Udayadev, Bishalpu, Aamchaur, Girgeda, Pancheshwor, Kulawa, Shivanath, and Mahakali, among other VDCs, have been witnessing leopard attack.  Twenty-six people, mostly women and children, have been killed and six injured in leopard attack in the past four years.

Normal life of the locals has been affected due to the renewed fear after the leopard attack. Most of the child victims were attacked while playing at their residences while women were attacked in nearby forests. Three children were picked from inside their houses in the past, it is learnt.

Locals say the leopards have made thick bushes nearby these villages their home. The leopards had killed two people in a bordering Indian village before the series of attack on the Nepali side.

The locals have been demanding the authority capture the leopards. But several attempts by Forest Office failed to trap leopard.

A study carried out by team of experts from Chitwan National Park last year concluded that the leopards started preying on humans for lack of food.  They also said that lack of light at night time also prompted them to kill humans.