GUWAHATI, DEC 16: A full-grown male leopard was caged at Bokul tea estate in upper Assam Dibrugarh on Friday morning.
After the leopard was caged the local residents of Bokul tea estate gathered in large numbers to see the leopard, which has created a reign of terror in the tea estate for last several months.
“We are happy because today the animal was caged. We are having sleepless night for last few days because the animal was spotted near the tea garden and we are afraid that he might take our small children and our domestic animal,” said a local resident of the tea estate.
Meanwhile, forest officials from Dibrugarh range took away the leopard with them for treatment.
“The local resident of the tea garden complained us about the spotting of the tea estate. We have placed a iron cage at Bokul tea estate and today the animal finally came into our trap,” said a forest official.
Man-animal conflict has been rising in the tea gardens of Assam due to frequent venturing of leopard in the tea garden areas.
“In last one year, we have successfully trapped many leopards from the tea garden areas of Dibrugarh and later released them to wild. The leopard comes out from the wild in search of food and entered in human settlement resulting in conflict,” the forest official said.