GUWAHATI: The contention that forest areas around the city have been dwindling, thereby shrinking the prey base for carnivores appears to have been bolstered by the capture of two leopards which had strayed inside the city limits in the last five days.Reports about leopards drifting into residential localities in the Santipur hillside area were received from people living there in the first week of December. People complained that cattle, goats and even dogs had been lifted by leopards in broad daylight. It is not uncommon for residents here to sight leopards in their backyards in the late evenings. Acting on these reports, a team of forest officials visited the spot and observed that the leopards were in all likelihood coming in from a forest tract slightly far from Santipur. The team felt it was not possible to drive away the leopard without capturing it.

On December 5, forest department personnel surveyed the area and decided to lay a trap for the leopard so that it could be shifted to a better forest habitat as per general management practices. In the wee hours of December 8, a female leopard was successfully trapped. During the operation, the leopard suffered some minor facial injuries. It was transporteded to the quarantine area of Assam State Zoo for immediate treatment. This female leopard was about 1 ½ to 2 years of age, according to sources.

Doctors from the Assam State Zoo, the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) and the College of Veterinary Science, Guwahati , treated the leopard and kept under it under observation. On December 11, the doctors declared that the leopard was fit being released back into the wild. Discussions were held with the Divisional Forest Officer, Assam State Zoo, the Range Officer, Gitanagar Wildlife Range, and others. It was decided that the leopard should be released in a forest area closest to its original habitat, in accordance with IUCN guidelines for releasing wild animals.

That evening, the leopard was taken to the Amsang Reserve Forest. The CWRC team assisted the forest officials led by the Range Officer of Gitanagar Wildlife Range in this operation. Amsang RF, situated within the Greater Guwahati City limits, is still a good habitat for various forms of wildlife. It is a forest patch contiguous with South Amsang Reserve Forest, Khanapara Reserve Forest and Panbari hillock.

At 7.30pm, the leopard was taken to Amsang RF. After scouting around for two hours, the team found a suitable location for the possible rehabilitation process keeping in mind the safety factors of the leopard as well as the rescue team. After a brief hesitation of about 10-15 minutes, much to the delight of the rescue team, the leopard stepped out of the confines and disappeared into the darkness.

While this leopard was still being treated in the morning of December 11, forest officials were informed that another leopard had been trapped in the Santipur area once again the previous night. The rescue team rushed to the spot and this time they found that a full-grown male had been trapped with the similar kind of minor facial injuries. Doctors from the Assam State Zoo and CWRC provided the initial treatment on the spot and brought the sedated leopard to the Assam State Zoo quarantine for further treatment.

Incidents of leopards straying into the city limits of Guwahati have become common in recent years. One leopard died in the early part of November in the Maligaon area after being trapped in an unprotected earthen well. Prior to this, many leopard had been captured from the Guwahati city area and rehabilitated in different suitable places. In 1995, one leopard was killed by police personnel in Ulubari area, a busy commercial district of the city, even before a rescue party of the forest department could reach the spot.

According to wildlife experts, it has once again been proved that several endangered and rare wildlife find their habitat within the Greater Guwahati City limits. 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. Unfortunately, largescale human settlements in these wildlife habitats are compelling wild animal to stray into human habitats. Human-animal conflicts have been on the rise, and wildlife conservation processes have been adversely affected.

Meanwhile, the CWRC at Kaziranga received a rescue call from Jorhat in Upper Assam. A leopard was apprehended by forest department staff there. Details are awaited.