A leopard died after being electrocuted in a live wire trap in Nilphamari late on Thursday.
According to residents of Kanchanpara, near the district town, local poultry farmer Aliar Rahman had set the trap around his farm to protect his chickens from foxes.
Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jasmin Nahar said Forest Department officials will take action in this connection after visiting the spot.
Dhaka Tribune sent pictures of the dead cat to Prof MA Aziz of the Zoology department of Jahangirnagar University, who identified it as a leopard.
Photo found on social media shows people near a dead leopard in Nilphamari Sadar upazila, Friday, March 18, 2022 Dhaka Tribune“Once there were leopard habitats in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet, Mymensingh and even in Dhaka city. But they have vanished due to various reasons,” said the zoologist.
The leopards occasionally sighted in Bangladesh mainly come from India and are sometimes killed by humans, he said.
Leopards are listed as Vulnerable in The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The species is protected under Bangladesh’s Wildlife (Conservation and Security) Act, making it a legally punishable offence to hunt, kill or harm leopards in any way.
