An adult male leopard was fatally hit by a train in western Dooars on Tuesday night.

Foresters said the animal was crossing the railway tracks near the rail bridge located between Malbazar and Chalsa near Noweranuddy tea estate in Jalpaiguri district when the incident took place.

“We suspect the leopard was hit by a train in the night hours. Our men have recovered the body. We are waiting for its post-mortem report,” said Dipen Subba, the range officer of Malbazar wildlife squad.

The leopard’s carcass, he said, was hanging from the rail bridge. Some local residents spotted it and informed them.

In recent years, this is the first time that a leopard has died on railway tracks. “We have come across incidents when leopards have been hit by speeding vehicles on highways passing through the Dooars. But it is rare that a leopard has died after being hit by a train,” said Manabendra Sarkar, a wildlife conservationist based in Chalsa.

In Hridapur area of Banarhat, also located in Jalpaiguri, a herd of 20-odd wild elephants got stuck on Wednesday morning. “It seems that the herd was heading to Diana forest from Totapara forest and lost the way. There are couple of calves in the herd. We are keeping a watch as there are a number of villagers nearby and will try to steer them into the forest in the evening,” said a forester of Binnaguri.