The incident at Siliguri village in Darjeeling is one of the many warnings that the big cat is as threatened as the tiger. The leopard is in as precarious a condition as the tiger is. The animal was petrified in human surroundings and eventually died (killed). We have no solutions for man-animal conflicts.
The mishandling is an eye-opener as to how the whole country faces a crisis. The administration and rulers of this country are enmeshed in attributes that help seek a way out rather than face the situation boldly. What were the policemen and forest guard doing there well fulfilling their duty?
There was no solution from the top level for an incident that is a regular occurrence. The immobilization should have been as fast as possible and proper. The big cat was on defensive strayed perhaps by some mental aberration or hunger into human habitation. A precious life could have been saved. Yes, big cats and all life forms constitute precious life. If there is any doubt please go back to Vedas.
The human reaction to intrusion by other life forms will always be aggressive defense or offense - an action wherein the animal always suffers. The cats are on brink of extinction thanks to our selfish approach and greed. It has yet to be apparent that we should work in an ecosystem. The loss of other life forms does not create a loss among us. Somewhere down the line, we will realize, how dependent we are on others. Our coming generation will have no solutions for past misdeeds. They will only regret and curse.
