Digboi (Assam): An adventurous young male leopard was rescued yesterday by the Assam Forest Department and WTI-IFAW (Wildlife Trust of India – International Fund for Animal Welfare) from Digboi town in the northeast Indian state of Assam. It was later released in the nearby Upper Dihing Reserve Forest.

The animal, about eight-months-old, had ‘strayed’ into a house and was locked inside by the terrified owner and his neighbours, who then informed the authorities.

“The leopard could have come from Upper Dihing Reserve Forest which surrounds Digboi. Conflict with leopards is not very common in Digboi; they occur mostly in tea estates,” said Prabhakar Das, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi.

The DFO was informed about the leopard by his subordinates. On reaching the site, he alerted the civil authorities, who along with the forest staff cordoned off the area from the crowd that had gathered there. Das also called Dr Abhijit Bhawal, WTI-IFAW veterinarian and Aniruddha Dey, DFO, Tinsukia for assistance.

Dr Bhawal and DFO, Tinsukia arrived with rescue equipment including tranquilisers and a cage.

Dr Bhawal, said, “There was no option but to tranquilise the leopard. We used a makeshift pole syringe, using a bamboo. Although, we had a cartridge-propelled rifle, we did not want to use it for fear of causing undue tissue damage. The animal was hiding under a bench. One group distracted it using a flashlight while I injected the tranquilisers from behind.”

Dey said, “The animal is young; we are not sure how it got separated from its mother.”

The leopard was released last night in Upper Dihing Reserve Forest area, more than two km from the site of rescue.

“It is not uncommon for grown-up cubs of big cats to venture into human habitation looking for easy prey. In a similar incident in May 2004 when an adult tigress had mauled a mahout riding a captive elephant, her two fully-grown cubs had ventured into a nearby village and killed several livestock. The cubs had to be caught and released in the forest,” Dr NVK Ashraf, Director, WTI said. “The leopard released yesterday is not likely to return to human settlement, considering the trauma it must have faced amidst the humans.”

The incident highlights the increasing human-animal conflict situation in Assam, as wild animals are compelled to traverse through human habitations due to deteriorating and fragmented natural habitat. Only a few weeks ago, a tiger trapped in a well near Tezpur was rescued by the Forest Department along with WTI-IFAW team. The tiger was later released in Potasali range in Nameri National Park, from where it was believed to have been displaced.

In yet another similar case, an adult male tiger was sighted in Raha, near Nagaon, Assam, on Monday, where it killed and consumed a buffalo calf. It then moved on to Kampur; a few unruly locals attempting to disturb the tiger were injured. The tiger was last sighted in Raha, last evening. The Forest Department and WTI-IFAW rescue team are on stand-by for any situation that may arise.