Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (RS)

Panaji, Jan 16: The State will form a joint squad of locals and forest department officials to curb leopard menace that has been haunting the rural taluka of Bicholim for almost two months.

Forest minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues assured the state legislative assembly on Monday January 14 that the squad would also include non-government organization and experts in handling this problem.

People in Bicholim taluka, Goa's one of the remote areas, are living with fear of leopard attack for the last two months.

A leopard, who had ventured from surrounding Goa-Maharashtra border, and fell into a well was rescued by forest department and sent to Bondla zoo while another leopard who was trapped managed his escape by breaking the trap.

"Sensitivity of this protected animal and the wildlife regulation prevents taking extreme measures until and unless circumstances so warrant and all the possible remedies are exhausted," Rodrigues told the house while replying to a calling attention motion moved by BJP legislators Anant Sheth and Rajes Patnekar.

Rodrigues said fragmentation of its habitat due to human activities coupled with the search for preys such as dogs and cattle make the leopards venture into the villages.

"This trend of human-animal conflict is widespread and of late has been observed throughout the world, more in the country owing to increasing human population," said the reply.

He said catching-leopard operation is not a mechanical procedure and is complex, tricky especially considering the unpredictable nature and behaviour of the wild cat.