Person arrested in Jalpaiguri for bison poaching

Darjeeling: One person was arrested for poaching a bison in the Jalpaiguri district and consuming its meat. Hunt is on for three others involved in killing this wild animal.

Gorumara Wildlife Division of the forest department arrested one Somra Munda of Tilabari section of Baradighi Tea Estate, on charges of Bison poaching and consuming its meat. On Friday he will be produced at the court. The incident occurred in Tilabari area, adjacent to the national park. Sources state that on August 18, the four had slaughtered the bison. They had got the meat and were eating it for the past two days. "We had got source information that some villagers had killed a bison from the Gorumara forest, cooked the meat and consumed it.

On Thursday we conducted a raid and managed to arrest one person. Hunt is on for the others." stated Janmejoy Dutta, ADFO, Gorumara Wildlife Division.

Raw flesh, horns and cooked meat was recovered from Munda's house. In another incident an adult female leopard was caged in Gaurigaon Bustee adjacent to Kilkat tea garden in Chalsa under the Matiali block of the Jalpaiguri district.

Meanwhile, based on complaints of sighting of a leopard the forest department had set up a cage at the Gaurigaon Bustee on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning a leopard was seen trapped in the cage. They immediately informed the forest department. Villagers claimed that since the past few days there has been sighting of leopards in the area.

They claimed that there is presence of more than one leopard and that goats, pigs and hens were being taken away regularly from the village by the

leopards. A huge crowd gathered to see the caged leopard at the Bustee. "The leopard is injured. After treatment the adult female leopard will be released in the Gorumara jungle," stated Rajkumar Layek, Ranger, Khunia.

In the past six months 27 leopards have been trapped from 23 tea garden areas in the Dooars region.