Leopard dies in Bengal tea estate

Calcutta News.Net
Wednesday 23rd May, 2007 (IANS)

A dead leopard was found in a tea estate near Siliguri in West Bengal, triggering concern over the rising man-animal conflict due to rapid urbanisation in north Bengal.

A full-grown leopard was found dead inside the Phulbari-Patan tea estate area in Siliguri Tuesday. It presumably died from poisoning as no external injury marks were found on its body, said forest department officials.

Local newspaper reports quoted forest department officials of north Bengal as saying that the leopard was about 10 years old.

Reacting to the unnatural death of the leopard, West Bengal forest minister Ananta Roy ordered an inquiry. 'We are suspecting several reasons but that can be only confirmed after the post mortem,' Sukana forest's assistant divisional forest officer Niranjita Mitra pointed out.

'In last one year, we have registered five unnatural death cases of leopards in north Bengal. The problem has become prevalent over a period of last two decades due to the rapid urbanisation in Siliguri tea estate areas,' Animesh Basu, Siliguri based wildlife society Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), told IANS.

Basu said it is well known that leopards come to the tea estate areas during the breeding time.

'The tea garden lanes are peaceful and covered with shrub that helps leopards for rearing their newborns. But in last few years, the overall population has increased in north Bengal, especially encircling the tea gardens,' Basu said.

He added that people used to disturb the leopards and sometimes killed them brutally out of fear.

'This man-leopard conflict has become a serious problem in the northern part of West Bengal. There should be awareness amongst the villagers not to kill or disturb these animals while they enter the tea gardens. After all they are not man-eaters. But sometimes they also get furious out of fear,' he said.

Basu added that he would ask all concerned departments and other organisations to conduct an awareness campaign amongst villagers in the area.

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