Carcass found in tea garden

TT, Jalpaiguri, June 17: The decomposed carcass of a suspected clouded leopard was found in Kurti tea garden of Nagrakata here today.

Foresters said it would take some time to confirm if the dead animal was a clouded leopard.

"The carcass measures around three-and-a-half-feet and has a tail of another 2ft. The skin has shades of grey and white," a forester from Khunia range said.

This morning, garden workers spotted the carcass and informed the management.

Clouded leopard is a rare animal and in India, it is sighted in the hilly tracts of north Bengal and Sikkim forests. According to forest sources, clouded leopards are usually found in Neora Valley National Park, Singalila National Park and Kanchenjungha National Park, all in the hills of Darjeeling and Sikkim.

"The animals have been sighted in Buxa Tiger Reserve. There are chances that the dead animal had sneaked into the estate from the forests of Bhutan," Gautam Das, a wildlife conservationist based in the Dooars, said. Kurti garden is on the India-Bhutan border.

The carcass has been kept at Gorumara National Park.