The Forest Department of Assam was informed by the locals that a leopard has entered inside the village, after informing which the Range Officers of Sonari and Borhat along with other forest personnel rushed to the spot.
Also read: Northeast: Assam- Mizoram talks over border row on August 5
What was the leopard doing?
The villagers said that the leopard was trying to prey on chickens inside the coop. While preying an iron cage was placed close to the hen coop and the leopard got trapped inside the coop.
Anatomy of the leopard
The leopard was an adult and measured two feet in height and around 9 feet in length. The wild cat was assumed to be approximately 12 years old.
Rescuing of the adult leopard by the forest department officials
It was rescued from Sivasagar District on Monday. The leopard was found inside the hen coop at the residence of a tea garden worker in the Banfera Tea estate in Sonari.
The leopard, which was in sound health, was then brought to Sonari Range headquarters and released into the Abhaypur Reserve Forest, the official said.
Previous cases of leopard attack in Assam
Previously a leopard attacked in Royal Global University campus on the night of Tuesday, December 2020 from there it went to the Delhi Public School campus. On information, a team from the State Zoo went to the schools. When the Zoo officials were trying to tranquilize the big cat, it attacked three of them all of a sudden.
The leopard while rescuing also injured three zoo officials. Three employees – head animal keeper Prabin Haloi, animal keepers Hari Seal and Abed Ali – sustained injuries.
Why these cases of leopard intervening human dwelling are increasing day by day?
With increasing human encroachment, wild animals have nowhere to go. Deforestation and reduction in forest cover have led them to intervene in a human settlement in search of food. Sometimes they also get lost while wandering in the forest at night.
Less forest cover and jungles have led not just only leopards but also tigers, elephants, and other wild animals to enter human settlements.
