GUWAHATI, Nov 30 - A leopard created panic among the residents of Hengrabari locality here for several hours after it took shelter in a girls� hostel this morning.
The two-year-old leopard entered the girls� hostel in the wee hours and took shelter under a sofa. It was first spotted by the owner of the hostel Mousumi Bora when she came to open the grill of the hostel. She immediately informed the forest officials.
A team of officials from the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, the forest and environment department, veterinary doctors and city police reached the spot around 9 am and rescued the leopard at 11 am. It took over two hours to tranquilise the animal.
Forest and Environment Minister Parimal Suklabaidya praised the whole team for the successful operation, adding that the success must be attributed to the coordination among various divisions of the forest department and support from police. � City Correspondent
