Endangered Leopard Cats Still Surviving in Crowded Narsingdi

Cubs of the endangered leopard cat have been found more than once in the densely populated district of Narsingdi — first in Srishtigarh village in Shibpur, and later three cubs in Jamgarh village in the same upazila. The animal was known to survive nowhere in the country outside the Sundarbans and some hilly forest areas, raising a big question: how is it still surviving in this crowded central district?

The story began on March 2. Around 10 in the morning, a news item circulating on social media reported that a leopard had been sighted in Shibpur, Narsingdi — at this time, the presence of a leopard anywhere in Narsingdi was an unimaginable thing.

The first assumption was that a fishing cat had again been mistaken for a leopard cub, because fishing cats are caught in various places from time to time and people take them for leopard cubs. But the photograph used in the news changed that assumption: the animal in the picture was neither a leopard, nor a fishing cat, nor a jungle cat cub — it was something else.

Contact was then made by phone with Nigar Sultana, a wildlife inspector of the Forest Department. She said they knew about the incident and that a process was under way to rescue the cub and release it. The cub had been caught in Srishtigarh village of Jessore Union under Shibpur police station.

About two hours later, Nigar Sultana sent a video clip showing the cub being released near its mother's location. The cub could be seen quite clearly in the video, confirming it was neither a fishing cat nor a jungle cat cub. Local people who had taken it for a leopard cub had not been entirely wrong, even though it was not a leopard cub.

The next incident was on August 15. From the morning, videos were circulating on social media of three leopard cubs being held in Shibpur, and the sight of the caged cubs was astonishing.

After inquiries, the location was identified as Jamgarh village of Joynagar Union under Shibpur police station. That morning, a man named Murad Hossain had found the cubs while working in a turmeric field beside his house and had taken them home.

When the caged cubs were taken to stand beside that turmeric field, a companion spotted their mother running away. It was clear the mother leopard cat had not gone far from her cubs.

The cubs were then taken out of the cage and released under a bush beside the turmeric field. Calling as they went, they moved into the bush. After a quiet wait at a distance, their calls eventually stopped — they had found their mother.

After returning from the spot, all the photographs and video clips of the cubs caught in Srishtigarh and Jamgarh villages were sent to renowned wildlife experts Reza Khan and Monirul Hasan Khan. Both confirmed that these were cubs of the rare leopard cat.

The question now is how the leopard cat is still surviving in Narsingdi, a densely populated district in the country's central region. Wild animals can sometimes adapt themselves even to hostile environments — and this is seen as living proof of that.

This area of Narsingdi is known to local people as a hilly region. In the past, many kinds of wild animals lived here. These leopard cats, among the last members of that wildlife, are still surviving here — a very hopeful development.

However, extensive research and investigation are needed on the matter. The Forest Department has been informed. It remains to be seen whether it will take special measures to protect these endangered animals. The whole sequence of events comes from the observations of Sarwar Pathan, a wildlife conservator, writer and author of hunting stories.