Villages of Tshanglajong and Zurphey in Trong Gewog of Zhemgang are seeing increasing leopard attacks on livestock. The worries of the farmers don’t end there; they are now fearing for their lives after a man was left injured from a leopard attack recently.
Losing livestock to leopard attacks has been increasing at a worrying pace for the farmers of Tshanglajong and Zurphey. They have lost about 15 cattle in the last few weeks.
“We used to lose 3-4 cattle every year. And that too from the far-flung places. But now we have started losing our cattle from the midst of the village and dogs from our doorsteps,” said Dhuezang, from Tshanglajong in Zhemgang.
Today people in Tshanglajong are gripped by fear after a 27-year-old man was left injured by a leopard attack last Friday. The victim, Dawa Tshering, said he was attacked by the big cat in broad daylight in a nearby forest. He is currently in Yebilabtsa Hospital recovering from the injuries inflicted on his arms and face.
“I was attacked on my left hand. The leopard clung to my jacket to maul me. I managed to draw my knife and defend myself for a short time until I lost it in confusion. The chaos drew a villager to the scene. As soon as the leopard saw him, it left me and started attacking him. Luckily he had a knife, he fought off the leopard,” he recounted.
“I heard some voices from the forest and saw him fighting the leopard. I immediately rushed to them shouting and drawing my knife. If I had not been there on time, the leopard would have killed him because I can’t see any weapons on him to defend himself,” added Dhuezang.
While human-wildlife conflict is not new for the villagers there, a leopard attacking humans is the first case in the village. The attack has left everyone in the village unnerved. Tshanglajong and Zurphey fall under the Royal Manas National Park, a protected area.
“We are afraid the leopard might come and attack us in our house too. We are scared to go out in the fields and also staying home alone is scary,” said Sonam Choden, also from Tshanglajong.
They said they have to now live in a constant fear that the leopard might attack them too. Scared and confused, they want immediate intervention from the agencies concerned. They claim that the leopard is still on the prowl and looking for easy food.
Meanwhile, like the villagers who are worried about their lives, forestry officials at the location are also nervous about the repercussions if they talk to the media. They refused to comment on the incident.
Pema Samdrup, Zhemgang
Edited by Sonam
