Nagaon: Nagaon, a central Assamese town, heaved a sigh of relief after the forest department on Saturday finally sedated the leopard roaming in the town since Wednesday morning.
The big cat, which probably strayed out from the nearby forest area, was first spotted inside an under-construction building at Amolapatty. Although the locals informed the forest department, they failed to locate the leopard for its capture. Soon CCTV footage of the leopard roaming in the area went viral on social media leading to panic among the residents.
Subsequently, the forest department launched a detailed search operation to trace and tranquilise the leopard but it remained elusive, creating fear in Amolapatty and other adjoining areas of the Nagaon. Most of the areas in Amolapatty and Dhakaipatty also wore a deserted look.
"Today, I heard a commotion in the morning in our area in Dhakaipatty. As I woke up, I could see the leopard taking shelter in one of the corners of the campus and immediately informed the forest department," a local said.
Finally, the team from the forest department fired darts at the leopard at Dhakaipatty on Saturday morning.
"The leopard has been tranquilised now. We are going to monitor its health and further take it to the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati," an official of the forest department said, adding that, it will be decided if the leopard will be released into the wild or be kept at the zoo.
He said the leopard probably strayed out of the forest ranges in Bamuni or Sowang under the Nagaon forest division. It may be mentioned here that a Royal Bengal Tiger had recently created havoc in some areas near Kaliabar and Juria in Nagaon district in July 2024, injuring three persons.
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