A compensation of ₹7.5 lakh was given on Friday to the family of the boy who was killed by a leopard. Samarth Gowda, 5, was killed by a leopard in Manikuppe in Gubbi taluk of Tumakuru on Thursday evening.
He lived with his grandmother Gangalakshmamma at Manikuppe, while his parents worked in Bengaluru with their elder son. Samarth and his grandmother had gone to graze cattle on the outskirts of the village in Manikuppe forest area. The boy, who was following his grandmother, had gone missing. With the help of villagers, his body was later found in the forest area.
The villagers staged a protest demanding that the Forest Department capture the leopard. A department official said the leopard usually attacks animals or human beings of the height of sheep and goats.
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Range Forest Officer H.L. Nataraj said, “Three cages have been placed in the area where the leopards are sighted frequently. We are clearing the bushes in the villages.”