Leopard's Selective Attacks On Two-Wheeler Riders Surprise Forest Officials In Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi District

Dehradun: Generally, predatory wild animals attack their prey stealthily but here is a leopard which has adopted unique tactics in the Badkot division of Uttarkashi. Even the senior officials of the forest department are surprised by the strange behaviour of this leopard. The officers of the forest department are not only trying to capture this leopard but are also trying to find out why this leopard is showing so much aggression against especially two-wheeler riders.Be it a national highway or a state highway, if this leopard sees a two-wheeler rider, it pounces on him. In the Barkot division, two-wheeler riders have been attacked more than 3 times in the last 20 days. The big thing is that all these attacks have been done by the same leopard. Perhaps this is the reason why the forest department is also surprised to see these activities of the leopard.Why is the leopard doing this? It is an unusual incident for a leopard to chase two-wheeler riders and try to attack them. It is believed that the leopard may be doing this because of the cubs present with it. It is believed that the leopard might be carrying out such attacks to protect its cubs.  PCCF Wildlife Ranjan Kumar Mishra says that everyone is surprised at why this leopard is attacking humans in moving vehicles. However, it is very difficult to understand the changing behaviour of wildlife. In such a situation, it is difficult to say why such unusual behaviour of this leopard continues in this area.In one of the several cases cited by the local people, a leopard attacked a bike rider on 8 May. Another such incident took place on 6 June, and a third person complained about a leopard attack on June 10. These are the cases that have reached the forest department in the form of complaints. There may be some cases that have not been reported by the local people. However, after receiving information about frequent attacks on two-wheeler riders, the forest department has started monitoring with about 8 to 10 cameras installed in this area so that information about the presence of the leopard can be obtained.Special teams formedFollowing this, four teams have been formed to continuously patrol this area. With permission from PCCF Wildlife, cages have also been installed in this area so that this leopard can be caught.  As per the statistics, more than 534 people have lost their lives in leopard attacks in Uttarakhand in the last 24 years. And, 2,052 people have been injured in leopard attacks in the state in the last 24 years. In 2025 alone, leopards have injured more than 18 people in the first three to four months. Before this, in 2024, 14 people died in leopard attacks within a year while 127 people were injured.Veterinarian Rakesh Nautiyal says that the number of leopards is increasing and due to migration in the mountains, houses are becoming vacant. Obviously, due to this, leopards are moving towards residential areas and these villages are becoming their habitat. On the other hand, cattle which are easily preyed upon are also attracting these leopards towards residential areas. After the forest department increased patrolling, the presence of leopards has been decreasing in this area last week.Read MoreASI Hosts International Yoga Day Events At 81 Historic Sites; Entry Free At All Monuments TodayInternational Yoga Day 2025: India Hosts Historic Mass Yoga Event At 1 Lakh Locations NationwideUK Celebrates International Day Of Yoga With Special Message From King Charles