Bardiya, March 15 -- In Bardiya, a western Tarai district of Lumbini Province, farmers once accustomed to solitary peace of their fields now refuse to step outside unless flanked by neighbours.

The local residents, especially in the rural areas, are in abject terror with a surge in leopard attacks that has transformed the villages into hunting grounds. Collective anxiety has reshaped daily life across the eight local units in the district.

Since the inception of the current fiscal year on July 17, 2025, eight people have been killed by leopards in Bardiya. The crisis is rife where the boundaries between the forests and human settlements have effectively vanished, leaving the local population vulnerable.

Ram Bahadur Tharu, a resident of...