2 leopards, 5 people injured in road accident in Bengal

Kolkata, January 2

Two leopards and five people have been injured after a car hit the big cats in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district, a senior forest official said on Saturday.

One of the leopards has been rescued while a drone has been deployed to trace the other big cat, he said.

The incident took place on NH 31C near Gendrapara tea estate in Banarhat area on Friday night, Chief Wildlife Warden V K Yadav said.

The five injured occupants of the vehicle have been admitted to Jalpaiguri super-specialty hospital and their condition is stated to be stable, he said.

The rescued adult male leopard has been brought to Lataguri for treatment. Its condition is stable. A search operation is underway to trace the other big cat which has slipped into tea bushes, the officer said.

All villages and tea estates in the area have been alerted, he added. PTI