For the first time the Forest Department here implanted a microchip into a leopard so that it could be easily identified later. The leopard had entered the hen run of one Lohit Saikia, a resident of Baghmeri and was trapped in the shed. The Forest Department personnel first tranquillized the wild cat and then implanted the chip before releasing it into the reserve forest. Assistant Conservator of Forests Gunin Saikia said that the microchip was embedded in a vein behind the ear and would help to identify it later in case it strays near human habitat. Saikia explained that the movement of the leopard would not be monitored as this was not a radio collar. "This small computer-like equipment will emit a small blip sound if we switch on a radar in its vicinity,' he further said. Of late the man-leopard conflict has escalated in the district and as many as eight big cats have been killed or maimed when they ventured into villages in search of food.