Tired of forest dept's inaction, two Jorhat women trap leopard themselves

Jorhat, May 4: In a determined bid to protect their village from a menacing leopard, two women from Khongia on the outskirts of Jorhat district took matters into their own hands, leading to the successful capture of the wild cat that had been terrorising residents and killing livestock.

Rekha Bora and Makon Bora, both residents of the affected village, approached the Jorhat Forest Department with a written request, urging officials to install a trap cage to catch the leopard that had been roaming the area unchecked.

"The leopard was creating terror in our village. It killed many of our livestock. We had informed forest officials earlier but didn’t receive a concrete solution, so Makon and I decided to act," Rekha Bora told The Assam Tribune.

Responding to their plea, the Forest Department eventually provided a cage. With help from fellow villagers, Rekha and Makon arranged a goat to use as bait. The trap was set on April 30, and after four tense days, the leopard was finally captured.

News of the capture quickly spread, drawing curious crowds to the site and offering relief to anxious residents. However, concerns remain. Makon claimed she recently saw another leopard in the area and has once again urged the Forest Department to reinstall the cage.

“This is not the only leopard around. There are more in the vicinity. We request the department to return the cage so we can help capture the others too,” Makon said.

The captured leopard has been taken to the regional office of the Jorhat Forest Division. According to officials, it may be released into Kaziranga National Park after further assessment.

The brave initiative by Rekha and Makon has drawn admiration across the village and highlighted the vital role of local communities in wildlife conflict mitigation.