Assam: Warning signs about ‘leopard bearing area’ put up in Guwahati city

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Floods and the pressure of humans on forests and hilly areas have forced big cats out of the wild and into close proximity to humans in many areas of the state, including the capital city of Guwahati. The situation in Guwahati has come to such a point that the forest department has now put up signs warning of  ’leopard bearing area-drive slow’ in several places.

The devastating floods in the state, starting in May this year, also badly affected Kaziranga National Park, forcing wild animals to seek shelter in nearby areas with human habitation. A number of rhinos, wild elephants, and deer crossed the national highway 37 and sought shelter in the adjoining hills of Karbi Anglong district. Along with these animals, a few tigers also moved out of KNP to places like Kaliabor and Dhing in Nagaon district in the last few days, creating panic among the populace in these areas. Local villagers of Sonarigaon near the Kamakhya Mandir in Silghat at Kaliabor also sighted three Royal Bengal tigers, making the people fear for their own lives and their domestic animals. The tigers were also spotted in tea gardens lying nearby.

In the last few days, a sighting of a Royal Bengal tiger in the Dhing area of Nagaon sparked fear among the people. The footprints of a tiger were even spotted on the campus of Dhing College on Tuesday. It was speculated that the tiger may have come out of the nearby Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary. Several people were also injured in the area after coming into close contact with a tiger in the last few days. Things have come to such a point that the Dhing market was closed as a precautionary measure on Tuesday after the attack on humans was reported. Moreover, a weekly market at Dhing was shut down on Wednesday for fear of tigers appearing there. The first sighting of a Royal Bengal tiger in the area was made in the first part of July.

Meanwhile, in Guwahati, following repeated sightings of leopards in the hilly areas adjoining Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), caution boards have been set up for information and awareness among people regarding the presence of big cats in the area. Several signboards have been put up in the GMCH area, including one near the guest house of GMCH, one on the roadside in Kamalnagar, and another near Rajib Nagar, near the TV tower on the Bhangagarh hills.

Leopards are very often spotted on Guwahati’s Nilachal Hills, where the Kamakhya Temple is located. The nearby areas of Pandu and Maligaon have a history of human-animal conflict, as more and more people venture into the habitats of leopards in the area. The once pristine hills are now filled with human settlements, with land in the city becoming a scarce commodity, and more and more people are moving out of rural areas to come to urban centres in search of a livelihood.

Big cats like leopards are usually sighted, and many are captured in the tea gardens of Upper Assam. There are stories of leopards dragging away domestic animals for a meal. During such attempts, they come into contact with humans, injuring them. Once the menace of a leopard attacking humans is established in an area, traps are put in place to capture them. 

In a first-of-its kind project in India, the North Kamrup Forest Division conducted a leopard census in the Sila Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati in 2022. The census, a pilot project, trapped 13 leopards in their cameras in the reserve forest and its nearby non-forest areas. Although the Forest Department spotted 13 leopards in the Sila Reserve Forest, it was surmised that around 30–35 leopards inhabit the area.

 Also Read: Assam: After 2019, floods deal the worst blow to wildlife in the park this year (sentinelassam.com)

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