Leopardess with cub creates panic in Hoshiarpur village

Hoshiarpur, Jan 14 (UNI) The reports of the presence of a female leopard along with its cub has created panic in Lasara village and its surrounding areas in this district, bordering Himachal Pradesh for over a week now.

Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife Department, Hoshiarpur, Paramvir Singh said here today that a team of Wildlife department has been sent to the area to ascertain the facts.

The inhabitants, living in fear for over a week for themselves as well as their livestock, have formed youth vigilance squads to guard the village, located on the foothills of Shivalik range in Garhshankar sub-division of this district.

After ascertaining its presence, the Wildlife department would lay a trap to catch the feline as the department did not have a tranquiliser gun to make the animal unconscious.

According to the villagers, the local hunters, who inspected the caracass of a dog killed by some wild animal, at a poultry farm in the village, had opined that the attacker appeared to be a big feline like leopard.

The paw marks on the earth at that site also indicated the presence of leopard in that area.

A farm-labour couple also raised an alarm after sighting the the feline and its cub on the evening of January 12 and said that the animals disappeared after they lit a fire.

However, when the owner of the farmhouse, along with around 25 persons, tried to locate the animal, they failed in their attempt.

UNI XC JN RSA GC2004