Bardiya, May 4 -- Leopard attacks in Bardiya district have intensified in recent months, leaving at least three people dead and 11 others injured since mid-November, according to local authorities and conservationists.

The most recent fatality occurred on April 28, when a nine-year-old girl, Melina Khadka, was killed by a leopard while collecting firewood with her aunt in Saryu Community Forest in ward 8 of Gulariya Municipality in the district. Melina, who was from ward 6 of Geruwa Rural Municipality came to visit her aunt at Gulariya.

Earlier, on April 12, 40-year-old Urmila Tharu was attacked while gathering timber in Jiraha Community Forest, Bardiya.

Injuries from leopard encounters are also mounting. On April 2, seven-year-old Sar...