Forest department launched a huge search operation to save a leopard claimed to be lurking around the jungles of Jarhee under Dandai block of Garhwa district on Monday. The step has been taken after a male leopard was killed by locals in the area after it attacked a few villagers on Sunday afternoon.
District Forest Officer, North Garhwa, AK Gupta said “A few people claimed to have seen another leopard in Jarhee on Monday morning. We are trying to save it from being harmed or hunted.”
He added, “We are moving with nets and cage. Our attempt is to rescue it from falling prey to mob frenzy.”
Gupta said that they are speculating this to be a female leopard. “A pair of leopard must have strayed from the forest and one fell prey to public fury. We do not want the second one to meet the same fate,” he said.
A contingent of 40-50 people is on the trail of this leopard. Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) has sent in a team join the DFO’s contingent.
The location of this leopard is not very far from PRT so the officers are presuming that the two leopards might be from PTR. “There is a growing population of leopards in PTR,” said PTR field director, Mohan Lal.
A senior veterinarian doctor of Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park, Ranchi, Dr Ajay and his assistant would be reaching Garhwa soon. He said, “We are coming with tranquilizing gun and dart.” Dr. Ajay added, “This mob attack on leopard calls for a huge public awareness. Mauling by leopard is not heard about much as it avoids human contact itself.
However, it incurs public wrath when it attacks farmers’ cattle.”
DFO Gupta said that while the leopard which was killed on Sunday did injure people, the injuries were not serious. “It was probably out of fear that the villagers reacted with vengeance,” he said.
Sources said that the incident on Sunday was one of its kinds where a leopard was killed by an irate mob, which used stones, brick and sharp instruments as weapons.
As the male leopard was killed in a field, it probably meant that the mob had cornered it from all sides and it could not get an escape route.