Coimbatore, Dec 6 (NationPress) In a distressing incident of human–wildlife conflict in the Anamalai hills, a five-year-old boy tragically lost his life due to a leopard attack in Valparai, located in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore district on Saturday, as reported by police authorities.

The deceased, Saiful, was the child of a migrant Assamese worker who was employed at a local tea estate.

As per the accounts from the Police and Forest Department officials, the boy was playing outside the labor quarters at Ayyarpadi when the leopard emerged unexpectedly from the adjacent tea bushes, seized him, and vanished into the depths of the estate.

Following extensive searches conducted by estate workers and forest personnel, Saiful's body was discovered deep within the plantation, showing clear evidence of a leopard attack.

This marks the third child fatality attributed to leopard attacks in Valparai within the past eight months, igniting concerns among the local populace and amplifying calls for enhanced protective measures in tea estates adjacent to forested areas.

On August 11, 2025, an eight-year-old boy named Noorjil Haq, son of Assam native Sarafat Ali, was similarly killed at Waverly Estate in Kavarakallu, approximately 30 km from the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border.

The child was playing near his home when the leopard dragged him into the dense tea plantation, with his remains later found severely disfigured, as the animal had partially consumed him.

Forest teams rushed to the scene, but the leopard escaped upon hearing the disturbance.

Just weeks prior, on June 22, 2025, a four-year-old girl named Roshini, daughter of a migrant couple from Jharkhand, was attacked and taken away by a leopard in Pachamalai near Valparai. Despite immediate search efforts, her body parts were only located the following day after the Forest Department intensified their search.

The frequency of these incidents has instilled a climate of fear among the plantation communities in Valparai, many of whom are migrant workers living in close proximity to forested regions.

Residents note that the fragmented areas of dense bushes, inadequate lighting, and the absence of fencing around labor quarters render children especially susceptible to such attacks.

In response, forest officials have stepped up patrols and installed additional camera traps in the vicinity. They have advised residents to keep children indoors after dark and promptly report any leopard sightings.

With another young life lost, the demand for a long-term, coordinated strategy to mitigate wildlife conflicts in Valparai has intensified.