4th leopard attack on kid in Alipurduar

TT, 25 January 2019, Alipurduar: A leopard tried to take away a 15-year-old boy at a tea estate in Birpara-Madarihat block of Alipurduar district on Friday but he was saved by his friends and estate workers who threw bricks and stones at the animal.

This is the fourth time in one-and-a-half months that children have been attacked by big cats in the BirparaMadarihat block. On the three earlier occasions the mutilated bodies of the children had been found later on deserted stretches of tea estates.

Akash Oraon, who was attacked on Friday, has been admitted to North Bengal Medical College and Hospital with serious neck injuries. His condition was stated to be critical.

The frequent leopard attacks has prompted residents to engage youths as escorts to protect children when they step out of home.

Sources said Akash, a resident of Tulsipara Tea Estate, was returning home around 11.45am from Ramjhora, a neighbouring tea estate, with some of his friends. Two escorts had been accompanying the group.

Akash had fallen behind the rest while passing through the plantations of Tulsipara when the leopard attacked him. He cried out for help, which alerted the group and some workers at the garden.

"The leopard had caught the boy by the neck and tried to drag him away. The others hurled bricks and stones at the animal. The leopard backed away, left the boy and ran away," said Jewel Lama, an eyewitness.

A resident said several steps had been taken to thwart leopard attacks.

"The forest department has laid as many as 17 cages in the neighbouring tea gardens (Ramjhora, Dhumchipara and ON PROWL Garganda) from where children had been taken away by leopards. But till date, not a single leopard has been caged. Everybody is in panic," the resident said.

Senior forest officials said they were looking for the leopards.

"We have also installed trap cameras and our teams are conducting searches for the leopards. We hope to trap the animals soon. Our department will bear the cost of the boy's treatment," said Ujjwal Ghosh, the chief conservator of forests (wildlife, north).