Leopard shot dead after it mauls 13 in West Bengal

SILIGURI - A police team shot dead a leopard after it attacked and injured 13 people, including a constable and a forest department official, in two villages of Jalpaiguri district Sunday.

Police and wildlife officials said the leopard mauled 11 villagers of Shikaripara and Nathua under Banarhat police station area of the Jalpaiguri district in the morning.

“The forest department squad tried to tranquillise the animal but it attacked one of them. A constable, who tried to rescue the official, was also wounded. Then, in self-defence the other policemen fired at the animal and killed it,” Inspector General of Police (northern range) Kundan Lal Tamta told IANS.

Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Jalpaiguri, V.K. Sudh said the incident took place in the Dooars region dotted by tea gardens and forests.

“We had sent a wildlife squad immediately to the area after the leopard was spotted. But they could not tranquillise it,” he said.

Chief Conservator of forests (North Bengal) S. Patel said some of the injured were critical and were being rushed to Jalpaiguri district hospital.

Sudh said an inquiry will be conducted to ascertain the circumstances that prompted the police to open fire on the leopard and kill it.