Most conflicts take place on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border Shortage of prey in the forests is one factor Cattle rearing in forest fringes also leads to attacks KOCHI: The fearful cries of a four-year-old boy got drowned in the din of the temple festival as a ferocious leopard pounced on him. He was one of the youngest victims of leopard attack last year in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border area. The boy, from Thonimudi, near Valpara, was just 50 metres away from his house when the attack took place. One hour later, his body was found near a tea plantation, half-a kilometre away from his house. In yet another case, a nine-year-old boy was killed at Valpara last year. Four persons, including the two boys, were killed in the area last year. The leopards are also preying on cattle in large numbers. According to a study on human-wildlife conflicts by the Wildlife Biology Division of the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Thrissur, 42 instances of leopards attacking cattle were reported in the Chalakudy forest division between 2003 and 2008. Ideal habitat The study revealed that most conflicts took place at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border, including Malakkapara, in the Sholayar forest range of Kerala, and Valpara. A common feature of these areas is the presence of large tracts of tea plantations, an ideal habitat for leopards. The workers of the plantations rear cattle as a secondary source of income. All the localities where humans were attacked were found to be ideal habitats of leopards. Cattle lifting and leopard sightings were reported during night hours whereas the attacks on human beings occurred during evenings, said E.A. Jayson, scientist, and Suresh K. Govind, researcher of the Wildlife Biology Division, who carried out the study. The shortage of prey in the forests, fragmentation of habitat and alteration of countryside that created ideal habitats for leopards also led to the raising number of attacks. Cattle rearing in forest fringe areas also boosted the conflicts, they said. Researchers suggested preventive measures like keeping cattle in closed cages during night and avoiding human activities at night.