Third leopard caged in a month at Jalan Tea Estate in Assam's Dibrugarh
The women folk working in the tea garden also said that were afraid to pluck tea leaves due to the animal. “Today, we are feeling relieved that the leopard is finally captured," said Binoti Tanti, a tea worker.
DIBRUGARH:
A full-grown male leopard was captured by forest officials at Jalan Tea Estate near Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh, upper Assam on Thursday morning.
This is the third leopard to be captured from the area in a month, the forest officials said, adding that the animal was "reigning terror" in the area for the past many days.
"For past several days, the leopard was spotted regularly at the tea garden area. It killed many domestic animals and gave us sleepless nights. This was the third leopard caged within a month," said a resident.
The women folk working in the tea garden also said that were afraid to pluck tea leaves due to the animal. “Today, we are feeling relieved that the leopard is finally captured," said Binoti Tanti, a tea worker.
Meanwhile, the caged leopard was taken to the Jokai Reserve Forest and will be released into the wild.
"There are at least five leopards in the area, out of which, three have been caged," said Pranjal Baruah, Dibrugarh forest ranger, adding that shrinking of forest covers leopards are changing their hunting spots and are straying into nearby tea gardens. “Mostly, leopards take refuge in the tea garden areas because the animal likes to live in shrubs and bushes rather than dense forests."
The leopard is listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List because its population is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and is declining in large parts of the global range.
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