Camera traps show resurgence of leopards in Margala Hills

[313ghazi]

A leopard pauses to take a cautious look around before continuing its way through the thick forest in the Margalla Hills overlooking Islamabad — once a rare sight, but now one recorded and tracked by software and cameras.

The cat, once found all over Pakistan but increasingly endangered as humans encroach on their habitat, has been recorded painstakingly by the 20 camera traps attached to trees throughout the forested hills that are also popular with hikers.

"They are being seen on our cameras every day," said Asad Hyat, chief forest guard for the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.

Software identifying the leopards' distinctive rosette patterns has shown seven of the big cats are in the area, which rangers say is a good sign after a significant decline in their numbers over the past few decades.
"They are not so common anymore, because they are being killed mercilessly," said IWMB Chair Rina Khan Satti.

"They were once found all over Pakistan, in almost all the provinces, and now the numbers are declining very fast because of loss of habitat, because of poaching, because of people hunting them for their skin, for their trophies."

To help the cats, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ordered a leopard preservation zone with a roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) radius be set up at Margalla Hills in an effort to protect the endangered species' natural habitat.

In recent years there have been signs of a leopard comeback in the park located just outside of Islamabad.

Conservationists say the animals likely drifted to the Margalla area — foothills of the Himalaya mountains — as it became heavily forested over the years. And they stayed on because they found prey, a stable environment and an eco-system that could support them.

Wildlife rangers check paw tracks on the forest soil daily to monitor the leopards' movements and numbers carefully. They use the footage from their cameras to record their activity.
"This is just the beginning of our scientific study, it will take time," said Satti.

News of the leopards has slowly spread and the IWMB says it is hoping to conduct tours to show the footprints and signs of the leopards in the wild to curious visitors.

Camera traps show resurgence of leopards in Islamabad's Margala Hills

Software identifying the leopards' distinctive rosette patterns has shown seven of the big cats are in the area.

www.dawn.com

 

[Big Tank]

That's some great news. I hope that the Jahils of our country do not harm them. Let the nature take it's cycle.

 

[jamahir]

Good news.

@Indos @DalalErMaNodi

 

[313ghazi]

InshaAllah govt will appoint some rangers to protect the wildlife from poachers and waderas.

 

[baqai]

I just hope some rich dude will not try to either kill or capture them :/

 

[Indos]

Good news.

@Indos @DalalErMaNodi

I live in Jakarta, wild leopard is not far from my place in South Jakarta. In the morning or after raining, we can see line of mountains in the south. There you can find them,

They live near mountains, Mount Salak, Mount Gede, etc (West Java/bordering South Jakarta)

 

[jamahir]

I live in Jakarta, wild leopard is not far from my place in South Jakarta. In the morning or after raining, we can see line of mountains in the south. There you can find them,

They live near mountains, Mount Salak, Mount Gede, etc (West Java/bordering South Jakarta)

Beautiful area. Are these hiking tours done every day and are the volcanic caldera and the cone volcano active ?

Nice that the authorities or the organizers have kept a waste bin near the trees.

 

[Indos]

Beautiful area. Are these hiking tours done every day and are the volcanic caldera and the cone volcano active ?

Nice that the authorities or the organizers have kept a waste bin near the trees.

Not active any more, this is just one mountain, but it is actually a line of mountains so when we see to the south this mountains are like long fence but only visible in the morning and after raining, living in the south or living in high apartment the only way you can see them.

Yup before pandemic, every one can go there, but usually crowded like that in holidays

This is another mount, mount Salak, same in Bogor, West Java.

 

[jamahir]

Yup before pandemic, every one can go there, but usually crowded like that in holidays

So what about the leopards and other cats there ? Did they keep away from the trekkers or did they make themselves visible ?

 

[Indos]

So what about the leopards and other cats there ? Did they keep away from the trekkers or did they make themselves visible ?

Nope, they are afraid of human. The only visible animal that we can often see is Eagle, Leopards are active at night.

This is the situation in the jungle on that Salak Mount. At 5.29 they can see Leopard

 

[firohot4321]

A leopard pauses to take a cautious look around before continuing its way through the thick forest in the Margalla Hills overlooking Islamabad — once a rare sight, but now one recorded and tracked by software and cameras.

The cat, once found all over Pakistan but increasingly endangered as humans encroach on their habitat, has been recorded painstakingly by the 20 camera traps attached to trees throughout the forested hills that are also popular with hikers.

"They are being seen on our cameras every day," said Asad Hyat, chief forest guard for the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.

Software identifying the leopards' distinctive rosette patterns has shown seven of the big cats are in the area, which rangers say is a good sign after a significant decline in their numbers over the past few decades.
"They are not so common anymore, because they are being killed mercilessly," said IWMB Chair Rina Khan Satti.

"They were once found all over Pakistan, in almost all the provinces, and now the numbers are declining very fast because of loss of habitat, because of poaching, because of people hunting them for their skin, for their trophies."

To help the cats, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ordered a leopard preservation zone with a roughly 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) radius be set up at Margalla Hills in an effort to protect the endangered species' natural habitat.

In recent years there have been signs of a leopard comeback in the park located just outside of Islamabad.

Conservationists say the animals likely drifted to the Margalla area — foothills of the Himalaya mountains — as it became heavily forested over the years. And they stayed on because they found prey, a stable environment and an eco-system that could support them.

Wildlife rangers check paw tracks on the forest soil daily to monitor the leopards' movements and numbers carefully. They use the footage from their cameras to record their activity.
"This is just the beginning of our scientific study, it will take time," said Satti.

News of the leopards has slowly spread and the IWMB says it is hoping to conduct tours to show the footprints and signs of the leopards in the wild to curious visitors.

Camera traps show resurgence of leopards in Islamabad's Margala Hills

Software identifying the leopards' distinctive rosette patterns has shown seven of the big cats are in the area.

www.dawn.com

The wild Boar population has also increased thanks to garbage fields which serve as prey for leopards