NAGAON, Oct 21 - A two-year-old leopard cub was shot dead by forest officials at Nonoi Tea Estate at Rangamati village area under Samaguri police station this morning at around 9.30 am.
According to sources, after receiving information, a team of forest officials from Salona Forest Range office went to the village inside the tea estate and tried to rescue the wild leopard cub and release it into the nearest jungle from the village. Salim Ahmed, the Range Officer of Salona Forest Range office under Nagaon Forest Division said that, while they were discharging their duty, the ferocious wild cub jumped on a forest official and attacked him. To save himself, the forest official shot at the cub which died on the spot. After post mortem and other departmental formalities, the leopard cub was cremated.
However, a section of the public including P Bordoloi, an NGO activist, who have been working for the conservation and protection of wildlife, have strongly criticised the brutal killing of the leopard cub and demanded an impartial inquiry in this regard.
