Thrissur: A five-year-old boy was critically injured after being attacked by a leopard at the Upper Paralai Estate near Valparai. The child was sitting with his mother at the doorway of their house when the wild animal, which was lurking in an adjacent tea plantation, suddenly pounced on him.

The boy suffered severe injuries to his head during the assault. He was immediately rushed to the nearby Valparai Government Hospital, where preliminary medical care was administered, before being transferred to a hospital in Coimbatore for specialist treatment.

The incident has renewed safety concerns among estate workers and residents. Notably, a child belonging to a migrant worker couple was killed in a similar leopard attack at the very same estate a year ago, which had sparked widespread local protests demanding enhanced wildlife protection measures in the area.