GUWAHATI: A black panther was seen entering a school near Jyoti Nagar in Assam’s Mangaldoi at around 10 AM on Friday, March 25. So far, one person from the Rangia NK Division has been confirmed to be bitten, says Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of NK Division Rangia, Sany Choudhury.
However, sources say that two others have been injured.
“Orang doesn’t have black panthers. It could have come from Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary in Udalguri’s Dhansiri Forest Division. Rescue team from the Guwahati Zoo has reached the spot. They will tranquillise the black panther,” DFO of Mangaldoi Wl Division Pradipta Baruah told G Plus.
Bornadi wildlife sanctuary is a 26.22 sq Km wildlife sanctuary situated on the foothills of Himalayas bordering Bhutan in the north and in Udalguri and Baksa District, under NK Division Rangia Jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, DFO of NK Division Rangia Sany Choudhury said, “Black Panthers have never been spotted or recorded in Orang National Park. We suspect that the black panther came from Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary in the BTAD area.
The panther could have migrated from Barnodi to the area looking for food. Even if Barnodi is 50-60 Km away, the panther might have taken the route through the forests in the mountains. Our team has been mobilised. We will try to see if we can release the panther in the wild.”
“Panthers are born black due to recessive genes that lead to the pigmentation or colour. They have leopard parents and due to recessive genes, they are born with pigmentation. One can spot leopard spots even on a black panther. So, the panther could be from that part of Assam,” Guwahati Forest Range Officer (RO) Pranjal Baruah told G Plus.
