In yet another incident of animal cruelty, a leopard, aged about nine, was hacked to death in Guwahati’s Katahbari on Sunday morning by a mob, when forest officials were trying to track it down and sedate it.
As per reports, five persons were arrested for the gruesome act, and a minor boy was apprehended.
After hacking the animal, a group of locals celebrated wildly with the carcass and pulled out its teeth and took it away. According to forest officials, the leopard entered the area from the hills and was trapped by locals in Katahbari under the Fatasil reserve forest in Guwahati.
After the video of people celebrating with the carcass went viral on social media and local television channels, police and forest forces started a massive search and apprehended the six and brought them to Gorchuk police station.
The forest department lodged an FIR with the police and they have been booked under the Wildlife Protection Act and Assam Forest Regulation Act.
Divisional forest officer of Kamrup East, Rajib Baruah, said, “The leopard was already unfit. It was trapped in Katahbari. When there were a hue and cry after families in the surrounding areas gathered at the spot, the leopard escaped. However, the people chased the animal and killed it even before it had attacked anybody.”
The post-mortem report of the leopard is awaited, forest officials suspect that it might have already been injured before it was attacked.
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