Villagers kill stray leopard in Assam

A leopard was killed by angry villagers at Madhukuchi village of Assam after they failed in their efforts to shoo away the big cat from the paddy fields where it was hiding. Another leopard, however, managed to escape.

Witnesses say some villagers spotted two leopards in the paddy fields of the Madhukuchi village under Rangia subdivision, about 30 km away from Assam’s main city Guwahati. Soon, a large crowd gathered around the field and tried to shoo away the leopards.

The scared animals, rattled by the crowd, attacked some people, resulting in injuries to eight villagers.

The angry villagers later cornered one of the leopards and killed it with sharp weapons. The other leopard, however, managed to escape.

Forest officials who rushed to the spot said: “The animals strayed out of the jungle in search of food. They got scared after seeing a large crowd and attacked the villagers.”

“We are looking for the other leopard in the village. We would tranquilize it the moment it is sighted,” said a forest department official and added that the forest guards have launched a search operation around the village.

The injured villagers were immediately brought to the Rangia community health centre but were referred to the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital immediately due to seriousness of their injuries.