A three-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard at Karnataka's Baichanalli village in Tumakuru district, a police official said on Monday.

Responding to the incident, Karnataka Forest Minister Anand Singh suggested that the government would issue a shoot on sight order to kill the leopard, a move which was vehemently opposed by environmentalists in the state.

"The girl was playing in front of her house around 8 p.m. on Saturday when the leopard carried her away and mauled her to death," Tumakuru district Superintendent of Police Vamsi Krishna told IANS. The girl's family found her body around 10:30 pm with bite marks on her hands and face.Krishna said state Forest Minister Anand Singh visited the family of the deceased girl and promised compensation.

However, his view of issuing a shoot on sight order to kill the leopard was met with criticism. "This is a question one child which was killed. Based on one human killed, we shouldn't jump to conclusions and here shouldn't be a shoot order. The leopard should be captured and released back into the forest, preferably somewhere deep in the forest," conservationist Joseph Hoover told TNM.

The forest department stated that they are planning to capture the leopard. "The minister has also ordered the forest department to capture the leopard," said Krishna.

The forest department also set up 25 traps to capture the leopard, including cameras. Krishna said the police department is also helping the forest department in capturing the big cat. A team from Bandipur tiger reserve had visited Tumakuru in January to help the district officials in averting leopard kills. "We are planning to call the Bandipur team again," said Krishna. The three-year-old girl's death was the fourth fatal leopard attack in Tumakuru in the last four months. Earlier, 60-year-old Lakshmamma from Kuppe village, 60-year-old Anandiah from Doddamaralavadi and a 5-year-old boy were killed between October and January.

With IANS inputs