As many as 16 persons weremauled to death by leopards in Gir-Somnath and Amreli districts in the last two years, the Gujarat government told the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.While five persons had died in Gir-Somnath, 11 succumbed to their injuries in Amreli in the last two years, the government said.At least 104 incidents of leopard attacks were reported in these two districts in the last two years, it said.Responding to a query asked by Congress MLA Punja Vansh, state Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava said 48 people were attacked and injured by leopards in Gir-Somnath in two years, of which five died.Similarly, of 40 persons attacked by leopards in Amreli in two years, 11 had succumbed to their injuries, the minister said.The government had paid a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of those who had died in leopard attacks, Vasava said.To prevent man-animal conflicts, the forest department regularly conducts awareness drives near forest areas, he said, adding that villagers are also asked not to sleep in the open.Responding to a related question from Congress MLA Babubhai Vaja, Vasava said 566 cases of leopards attacking and killing cattle were reported in Junagadh alone in the last two years.At least 1,308 cases of attacks on cattle by wild animals other than leopards were also reported in Junagadh in the same period.
