Video: Leopard attack injures three in Guwahati

Guwahati:  Deforestation and shrinking of forest area has led to conflict between animals and humans. Rapid encroachment of the hill areas surrounding Guwahati, which has been a habitat of many wild animals like Leopards and endangered species of birds, has shrunk the wild habitat considerably. 

In yet another incident of man-animal conflict in Assam, a leopard attacked three persons including two forest personnel in Fatasil Ambari area of Guwahati on Tuesday morning. As per reports, in the morning, one boy was attacked by a leopard in GS Colony in Fatasil Ambari. The boy soon raised an alarm and people from the neighborhood came out, which frightened the leopard and it ran inside a building. Immediately the forest department was informed and a team arrived on the spot. However, while all efforts were being put in by the forest officials to catch the leopard, two personnel of the forest department were also attacked by the leopard, injuring them. After a long effort of more than 3 hours, the forest department managed to tranquilize the leopard and it was shifted safely to the State Zoo. 

It has been learnt that for the last few days, the leopard was on the prowl in the area and was hunting pet dogs and livestocks regularly. 

Speaking to Republic Digital, Ashwini Kumar, DFO of Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, said that the condition of the leopard is stable and the vets are attending to it. "Our doctors are attending to it. He has got some injuries and we are still examining it so nothing much can be said right now," he said. 

This is not the first time, earlier too similar incidents have been reported from different parts of the city, including the Fatasil Ambari area. A keen environmental observer and author of several books related to the environment, Pankaj Kumar Dutta has termed it as a war on animals waged by humans. He said, "It is not the animals who are encroaching human habitat as it is often reported in the media. Its vice versa, humans are encroaching animal habitat and as a result of this encroachment, we are witnessing this conflict."