An adult leopard was captured by the Forest Department on Thursday morning after it was trapped in a cage set up at the Gayerkata Tea Garden in Banarhat, bringing relief to residents who had been living in fear for several days.
Residents gather after capture of leopard
The leopard was caught in a trap installed near the pump house in Section No. 11 of the tea garden by the Binnaguri Wildlife Squad. Soon after the news spread, a large number of local residents gathered at the spot to catch a glimpse of the animal.
Big cat sparked panic among workers
For the past few days, the leopard had been frequently spotted inside the tea garden, triggering panic among workers and their families. There were also reports of goats and cattle going missing, with locals suspecting the leopard was responsible.
Forest officials used goat as bait
Acting on repeated complaints, the Forest Department had placed a cage with a live goat as bait near the pump house on Wednesday. Early Thursday morning, tea garden workers heard the leopard roaring and rushed to the spot, where they found the animal trapped inside the cage.
Leopard to undergo health examination soon
The incident quickly drew crowds of men, women, and schoolchildren, many of whom gathered to photograph the captured leopard on their mobile phones. Forest officials are expected to conduct a health examination of the leopard before releasing it into a suitable forest habitat.
