Guwahati, Dec 27: An adult leopard that created a ruckus on the campus of the Rain Forest Research Institute in the Sotai area of Upper Assam’s Jorhat district on Monday and injured at least 13 persons, including children, was tranquilised by a team from the forest department on Tuesday morning.
The entire exercise by the state forest department took almost 24 hours to be completed even as residents of the area had to spend a night in fear with the leopard roaming around in the area.
Reportedly, the animal, which was injured in the leg after going on a rampage for several hours, was spotted by the team from the forest department hiding under a vehicle inside the campus of the institute on Tuesday morning.
“We were keeping a constant vigil and monitoring the situation in our efforts to tranquilise the leopard. Finally, after unrelenting efforts, our team managed to spot the leopard and tranquilise it by injecting two shots, first in an open area, and then inside a residential quarter of the institute’s campus around 9.30 am today,” a forest official said.
Later, the unconscious animal was covered by a blanket and taken for medical examination.
“We will take a decision regarding the leopard after the medical examination,” the official said.
It is suspected that the stray leopard might have been staying inside a dense bamboo forest close to the Rain Forest Research Institute, even as the original location of the animal is yet to be ascertained.
Meanwhile, the injured persons, including forest personnel, are undergoing treatment at the Jorhat Medical College and Hospital (JMCH).