A six-year-old girl, Prisha Solanki, was killed by a leopard outside her home on a farm in Dedkiyal village, Junagadh district, Gujarat, on Sept. 23. Security camera footage shows the animal approaching and attacking the child before fleeing. Forest teams placed eight traps and have launched intensive patrols to locate the leopard. India is estimated to have 12,000–14,000 leopards, and such human-wildlife encounters occur periodically.
Six-Year-Old Girl Killed By Leopard While Playing Outside Home In Gujarat
An Indian leopard is seen in Maharashtra, India (stock image)Credit: Getty
A six-year-old girl, identified as Prisha Solanki, was fatally attacked by a leopard on the night of Sept. 23 while playing outside her family home on a farm in Dedkiyal village, Junagadh district, Gujarat, authorities said.
Witnesses told local media that the animal emerged from a grassy patch, leapt on the child and dragged her away. Security camera footage obtained by the Press Trust of India shows Prisha walking along the outside of the house unaware of the approaching leopard before the animal pounced and immediately fled the scene.
"She was playing in the courtyard outside our house when the leopard suddenly pounced on her and took her away. Her body was found after an hour," Ketan Solanki, the girl's uncle, told The Times of India.
The Gujarat Forest Department confirmed that Prisha's body was recovered in a nearby wooded area. Forest officials said a response team placed eight traps around the site and has intensified patrolling and tracking operations to locate the animal.
Search Efforts Underway
A leopard notice from the Department of Forest and Wildlife is seen in New Delhi, India, on July 8, 2025Credit: Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty
"A team reached the spot and placed eight cages in the vicinity to trap the animal. Intensive patrolling and tracking operations are underway," Gir West Divisional Forest Officer Prashant Tomar said in a press statement, according to the Press Trust.
Context
According to the World Land Trust, India is home to an estimated 12,000–14,000 leopards. These adaptable predators use trees and dense vegetation for cover and are opportunistic hunters that may prey on livestock, dogs and wild animals such as deer and porcupines. Human-wildlife encounters, including leopard incidents, occur periodically in parts of India as expanding human settlements and agricultural areas intersect with leopard habitat.
In a recent July incident in Rajasthan, surveillance footage captured a leopard entering a liquor store and attacking an employee; both workers escaped and authorities later tranquillized and captured the animal before releasing it back into the wild, the BBC reported.
Local forest authorities continue to search for the leopard involved in the Sept. 23 attack. Officials have expressed condolences to the family and urged residents in nearby areas to exercise caution and report sightings to forest officials immediately.
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