বাংলায় পড়ুন
A four-year-old male leopard, Sachin, escaped from its enclosure at Bengal Safari in Siliguri. He left behind his male companion, Sourav, and two female leopards, creating panic in and around the park. Sachin escaped around 8 am, an hour before the park opens, and was suspected to have entered the adjoining 100-hectare herbivore enclosure, which is inhabited by spotted deer and barking deer.
Park authorities were worried about the safety of the herbivores, although there was no immediate cause for panic in Siliguri, a town with a population of about eight lacs and about 12 km away. Sachin seemed to have scaled a 25-foot barrier, climbed a tree, and leapt away. Six squads comprising 80 personnel searched the park with the help of two trained elephants but failed to spot Sachin till evening. The park was therefore kept closed on New Year’s Day, much to the disappointment of revellers.
The authorities have now decided to allow only vehicle safaris with security guards from today. No visitor will be allowed on foot. 10 cages with bait have been set up to trap the animal. The search operation will continue into the night and patrolling will be done in the adjacent Baikunthapur forest. Armed with tranquillizer guns, the team has been on the lookout for Sachin. The forest department is claiming this to be a freak incident. Vigilance has been stepped up in the fringe villages of Turibari and Betgara. It is being feared that Sachin might sneak into one of these human settlements with plenty of livestock.
