Leopard trapped, later released

A Correspondent

JORHAT, APRIL 19: A female adult leopard was trapped at Meleng-Gayon gaon under Teok Police Station in Jorhat district which is just few metres from the NH-37 and few kilometres from the Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary. The leopard had been terrorizing the people of the area for over a month and had eaten livestock and even attacked a five-member husori team. But in the wee hours of Thursday morning, the big cat was trapped, said Tankeswar Gayon, a forest official from the Jorhat Forest Division.

He said that female leopard might have come out from Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary with two cubs in search of food and water. Wild animals generally  come out of the wildlife sanctuary and create terror in the nearby villages, following which the locals blocked the NH-37 and even met the Deputy Commissioner of Jorhat, Narayan Konwar, alleging negligence by the forest department. After the DC’s intervention, the Jorhat Forest Division placed a cage on March 23 and after 27 days the leopards was trapped. Soon after the leopard was trapped she tried the break the iron cage as she was separated from her cubs, said forest sources.

Out of five injured persons from the husori team, three are still undergoing treatment at Jorhat Medical College and Hospital and at Jorhat Christian Medical Centre. The trapped leopard was released at a nearby wildlife sanctuary late in the evening.