GUWAHATI, Jan 20 � In the second such instance in less than two weeks, a leopard straying out of the nearby hills created panic in Pandu area this morning.
Two persons were reportedly injured when the panicked animal attacked them. As the news spread, a large crowd gathered in the area and started looking for the leopard.
A team of forest personnel with veterinarians arrived in the Loka Colony area of Pandu to tranquilize the leopard but was unable to locate the animal. It is likely that it went back to the hills.
�We were intimated about the presence of the leopard by the police around 11 am, following which our team immediately reached the spot to tranquilize the animal. The animal, however, could not be located till dusk, and it is likely that it went back to the hills,� SK Sealsharma, DFO, Guwahati Wildlife Division, told The Assam Tribune.
The nearby hills of Nilachal (Kamakhya), Narakasur, Gotangar, etc., shelters a sizeable leopard population, and straying of the animals into human habitations is not uncommon. On January 7, a leopard brought normal life to a halt for several hours in Silpukhuri area and injured three persons. It was later tranquilized and captured.
The phenomenon of straying of leopards from the surrounding hills of the city has worsened in recent years. Over the past decade a number of leopards have been caught and a few killed by mobs. The city has 18 hills right within its municipal area, with a substantial portion of the hills being reserve forests.
