A forest employee carries the body of the leopard killed by the villagers at Narakasur Hill on Wednesday. Picture by Biju Boro

July 7: A mob armed with cudgels and sharp weapons killed a male leopard after it strayed into human habitation at Sankarnagar atop Narakasur Hill in Kahilipara and mauled three persons this morning.

Bystanders said the animals suddenly appeared in the locality at 6.30 am and injured a 22-year old youth, Tilak Chauhan, while he was in the toilet and bit off one of his ears.

After that, the leopard pounced on an unidentified woman, injuring her seriously before attacking another youth, Bapan Das, 20. Das was injured in the neck.

The screams of the injured persons sparked panic in the area and a crowd of over 100 people armed with lathis, clubs and other weapons, gathered to chase away the leopard.

The drama continued for over three hours before the mob finally managed to kill the animal at 10 am.

The DFO of Assam State Zoo and Botanical Garden, Narayan Mahanta, said after receiving a call at 10 am, he immediately rushed to the area to rescue the animal but by the time he reached the site, the animal had been killed.

“The leopard was clubbed on the head. The animal was about seven to eight years old,” Mahanta said.

Chauhan was admitted to Gauhati Medical College Hospital while the others were taking medical aid at private nursing homes in the city.

The leopard is suspected to have strayed into the area from the Kalapahar reserve forest.

From April 1 till date, five leopards have appeared within the city limits. Of them, three were rescued by the forest department from Birubari, Maligaon and Hatigaon and one was killed by a mob at Udalbakra. All the leopards were male.

Wildlife activists had warned that the situation would become worse if the forests are not protected and the prey-base of the animals is lost.

They said the animals come in search of food on the fringes of the forest reserves and move out of the boundaries and into the city when they do not get it.

The activists had even suggested a leopard count in and around the city so as to devise a proper strategy to save the big cats.

The situation in Guwahati is unique as the city has a huge wildlife concentration where one can find leopards, elephants and rhinos on the fringes. There are 11 reserve forests in and around the city.

Recently, three elephants were run over by a speeding train near Deepor Beel, which is yet another indication of the gravity of the problem.

Wildlife expert Anwaruddin Choudhury said finding a solution to this man-animal conflict in places like Kalapahar and Nilachal Hills is difficult as human interference is increasing. He agreed that the declaration of Amchang as a wildlife sanctuary is a right step in protecting the habitats.

In fact, evictions undertaken by the forest department in the city have not been able to resolve the problem as people have started resettling in the area after it was cleared.

Officials said a total of 1,700 hectares of reserve forests in the city have been encroached upon. After an extensive eviction drive in May-June 2002, though the areas were cleared, 40 per cent of the forests were again encroached upon. One person had also died in police firing while trying to resist the eviction.