Inhuman beings

Another leopard has been killed in Assam by human beings, this time in the heart of Guwahati. With this, at least five leopards have been killed in Assam this year. The people were not satisfied by lynching the wonderful animal, but even removed its teeth and nail and chopped off a portion of its tail, following which they paraded with the 'trophy' with hoots and cheers. The incident took place in a locality called Katahbari Pahar, which clearly falls under the Fatasil Reserved Forest located within the city of Guwahati. The state Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) has gone on record saying that the area which belongs to the reserved forest has been under encroachment. As such, the leopard had not done anything wrong. In fact, it was well inside its rightful home, a reserved forest, which is being rapidly encroached upon by greedy people who definitely enjoy the blessings, patronage and protection of politicians and a section of self-styled human rights activists and intellectuals of the state. Rampant encroachment of hills, forests, wetlands and other government land in and around the city has led to increasing 'man-leopard conflict' in Guwahati as well as in other districts. While the Katahbari encroachers can be considered semi-literate if not altogether illiterate and thus can be also considered unaware of what terms like conservation, environment, deforestation and climate change mean, it was in December last year that a leopard was done to death inside the elite Assam Engineering College at Jalukbari in Guwahati. Six reserve forests, several hillocks, and three other reserve forests along the periphery together form a good habitat for tigers, elephants, leopards, gaurs, greater adjutant storks, etc in and around Guwahati. But if residents of Guwahati indulge in killing these endangered animals, one should not expect people in interior villages and tea estates to protect them.