Leopard that crossed the border still not found after five days in Hatibandha, expert teams withdraw

A leopard that crossed the border into Bangladesh and injured three people has still not been found after five days. It was last claimed to have been seen on Monday night, October 26, by several residents in the Singimari area of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat.

When news of the Singimari sighting spread, fear grew in Amjhol and Singimari border areas and nearby localities. On Thursday, October 29, residents said village youths had kept watch all night with sticks and torches so the animal could not enter the locality and cause harm.

On Tuesday afternoon, October 27, Gazipur Safari Park veterinary doctor Dr Hatem Sajjad Md Zulkar Nain said a special team had been sent to Singimari after the sighting report. Search efforts had been stepped up using drones and thermal imaging with help from local people, and members of the Forest Department and wildlife management team were staying at the scene around the clock.

The administration said joint patrols by the BGB, police and Forest Department were continuing. Residents were advised not to panic, to stay alert and not to move alone after evening. Damage to farmers' crop land during the operation would be listed and assistance assured.

The incident began on Sunday afternoon, October 25. Near international pillar 905 at the Amjhol border in Gotamari union of Hatibandha, three people including a woman were injured in the leopard's attack. They are Sharifa Begum, 34, Nazrul Islam, 43, and Afsar Ali, 40, of Amjhol village.

According to residents, Sharifa Begum had gone to a paddy field to fetch a goat when the leopard attacked her. The other two were injured while trying to rescue her.

After the incident local residents cordoned off the area. The BGB warned people by loudspeaker and fired blank shots for safety. The animal was seen in border jungle on a drone camera at midnight on Sunday, but moved out of range late at night. A fresh sighting was then claimed in Singimari on Monday night.

Lieutenant Colonel Mehdi Imam, commanding officer of Lalmonirhat 15 BGB Battalion, said every effort was being made to recover the leopard unharmed. He urged everyone to stay alert without panicking.

Divisional forest and social forestry officer Nur Islam said by phone that signs of the animal's movement or footprints had been found in several places. Because of the extra people and curious crowds at the scene, the animal may have been frightened and moved to another safe place or forest area.

On Friday, Hatibandha upazila nirbahi officer Deep Jan Mitra said that despite a careful five-day operation, no trace of the leopard had been found. Forest Department officials and the two expert teams working in the field ended their activities and left on Thursday.

He said loudspeaker announcements had been made in various areas to make local people aware. Anyone seeing footprints or suspicious signs of the leopard or another wild animal was asked to inform the upazila administration quickly without panicking. BGB patrols for border residents' safety were continuing strictly and the whole area was now safe and normal, he said.