A leopard has been killed by poisoning in Atwari, Panchagarh, according to the report. The upazila administration has formed a three-member committee to investigate.

Forest Department staff recovered the leopard's body from the Darkhor border area of Toria union in the upazila on the morning of Friday, 2 February. In the afternoon the body was taken to the upazila livestock hospital for a post-mortem. The Forest Department said the leopard was 52 inches long and 30 inches high.

Forest Department and local sources said leopards and many other wild animals live in the tea gardens and forests on the Indian side of the Darkhor border in Atwari. These animals are occasionally seen in tea gardens and maize fields on the Bangladesh side. On Thursday the leopard attacked a cow belonging to a farmer in Darkhor village near the border. Hearing the news, several hundred villagers gathered there, and someone mixed poison into the dead cow. At around 9am, local people found the leopard's body on the bank of the Nagar river near the border. Officials of the local administration, the BGB, police and the Forest Department went to the spot.

Earlier, on 23 December 2018, a leopard was beaten to death in Rahmatpur village of Boda upazila.

Montaz Ali, a farmer in Darkhor village, said: "The leopard attacked a cow here. Poison was later put in the dead cow. I heard the leopard came back, ate the cow's meat and died from the poison. But I don't know who put the poison."

Local union parishad member Nazrul Islam said a cow belonging to local man Akbar Ali was killed by a wild animal on Thursday night. At that time nobody knew about the leopard. The dead cow was later poisoned and left on the bank of the Nagar river.

Madhusudan Barman, the Forest Department's officer in charge, said local people had seen the leopard roaming the area, but how it died could not be known immediately. It was recovered and taken to the upazila livestock hospital for a post-mortem.

Azharul Islam Jewel, general secretary of the Panchagarh regional committee of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), said the leopard may have entered Bangladesh from India to take shelter because of the tea gardens that have been set up in the area.

Atwari upazila livestock officer Dr Jahangir Alam said a dead leopard had been brought to the hospital. If the Forest Department gives the necessary support, samples will be sent to a proper laboratory after the post-mortem.

Atwari upazila nirbahi officer Rashedul Hasan said a three-member investigation committee headed by the upazila livestock officer has been formed over the leopard's death. The real story will be known once the investigation report is received.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.