Hearing the commotion, the parents screamed and rushed after the animal. Startled, the leopard dropped the boy and retreated into the forest.
Published Aug 01, 2025 | 4:24 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 01, 2025 | 5:06 PM
The leopard dropped the child and disappeared into the darkness when the boy's parents raised an alarm. (Representational picture).
A tiger that entered a tribal settlement at Veerankudy Unnathi near Malakkapaara in Kerala’s Thrissur district tried to drag away a three-year-old boy from his hut.
The boy, Rahul, escaped with injuries to his head and neck and is undergoing treatment at the Taluk Hospital in Chalakkudy.
Malakkappara borders Tamil Nadu and is surrounded by the Parambikulam, Anamalai tiger reserves, and the Nelliyambathi hills.
The area is home to a wide range of wild animals, including elephants, leopards, tigers, bears, and deer. These animals are often spotted even during the day in areas inhabited by people.
The location also serves as a route to the famed Athirappilly Waterfalls near Chalakkudy.
According to reports, the child was sleeping with his family in a makeshift hut in a tea estate abutting the forest. The leopard that emerged from the forest grabbed the toddler and tried to drag him away around 2.30 am on Friday, 1 August.
However, the rosetted big cat left the boy and fled when his parents, Baby and Radhika, raised an alarm. His parents and others immediately alerted the forest department, and rushed him to the hospital.
Kerala forest officials have launched an investigation into the incident. The attack and the child’s narrow escape have triggered widespread fear among residents in the area.
Incidentally, a four-year-old girl, Roshni Kumari, was mauled to death by a leopard in nearby Valparai in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district on 20 June. The leopard was later captured.
