M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, May 13: Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR) officials of the Mahuadanr range have advised tourists and locals to be on ‘guard’ following sighting of a leopard sitting on the guard wall on Sirsi road to Netarhat recently.
Kumar Ashish, the deputy director, South division of the Palamu Tiger Reserve said, “Leopard is free to move but we had not thought of it sitting so majestically on the guard wall across the most important metallic road to Netarhat.”
“For many it is a real adventurous sight. For us too. But we are the ones who care about our wild life and humans both and with equal intensity,” said Ashish.
He said, “We have not forgotten as to how a leopard killed three humans, including one it ate more than half of the body of a child in the forests of the Garhwa district last winter.”
Ashish said, “Back here in our own Chhipadohar range of the tiger reserve a minor girl lost her life to leopard. So, it is good for all not to drop one’s guard when in the jungle or even passing through some such roads where jungles dot on both sides of the road as coming across any wild life is not any uncertain.”
A villager told this correspondent, “We are relieved not to hear of any cyclist passing through that site and at that moment when this leopard was on the guard wall otherwise his soul would have been cursing him for meeting eyes with the leopard.”
Brinda Pandey, ranger of the Mahuadnr range, said, “Mahuadnr range has all – sloth bear, wolf, elephant and leopard. Once in a blue moon we collect evidence of tiger too but the four bears, wolf, elephant and leopard are the happy dwellers here.”
Pandey said, “We keep telling villagers about the lurking dangers of the bears and now we have already added to our list of caution to public the name of leopard. We tell people that they must not be any careless about themselves in the jungles.”
