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Leopard trapped in West Bengal

     Doars (WB): Forest officials trapped and tranquilized a leopard in West Bengal on Thursday as their rising population is creating a menace in the region. The 7-year-old leopard was trapped from a tea garden in the Doars region of the state. The residents of the tea garden are facing a tough time as around 30 leopards are plundering the area. These leopards have often attacked humans and killed domestic animals. "The leopard was caught because they attack labourers working in the tea gardens," said Pradeep Sahu, a resident of Bamundanga tea garden. The forest officials plan to set the feline free in the Garumara forest close to the tea garden. Last year at least 140 leopards fell prey to poachers while anywhere between 150 and 200 leopard skins and bodies are seized every year from across the country. Experts say increasing human interference such as development, encroachment and destruction of habitat, as well as poaching, are the main threats to animals across India , from the Himalayas to Indian Ocean islands.
-June 19, 2009

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