Locals beat up leopard cub

Locals have beaten and broken the left leg of an endangered leopard cub, which ventured into the locality in Rahisal village of Habiganj's Lakhai upazila, after losing its habitat.

The forest department was reportedly treating the cub till yesterday afternoon. The injured leg has been amputated, said Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, divisional forest officer of Sylhet's Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation Division in Sylhet.

According to local sources, the cub was walking along the road in Rahisal haor on Wednesday afternoon. At that time, some locals caught it, beat it up and tied it with a rope.

Later, another group of locals rescued the cub and handed it over to Habiganj district office of the Department of Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation.

Tofail Ahmed Chowdhury, forester of Habiganj's wildlife management department, said the cub is a boy and approximately two months old.

"We are currently giving him treatment. He lost his way and became a victim of violence due to people's ignorance," he added.