Irfan Hanif
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The leopards, along with two others, had eaten poisoned meat. Leopards are now regarded as a ‘near threatened’ endangered species by the IUCN ─ DawnNews screengrab
ABBOTABAD: The regional office of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department recovered the carcass of a leopard from the Tarnawa suburb of Abbotabad.
After conducting a post-mortem on the animal, it appeared that the leopard had been poisoned.
The Wildlife Department found the leopard dumped along the side of the road. It had likely been transported there by a vehicle.
The leopard along with two others had eaten poisoned meat, authorities said. The bodies of the two other leopards have not yet been recovered.
The Divisional Wildlife Officer alerted the police of the incident and appealed to them for the immediate arrest of the 'mafia' believed to be responsible for the killing of these endangered animals.
Hunting or possessing a leopard is defined as a crime in the Third Schedule of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife and Biodiversity Act, 2015. The revisions to the law have given the Wildlife Department more power to fight against and apprehend those who break the law. Although the new law also prescribes greater penalties for those who break the law, this may not always be enough. The fine for hunting a leopard is Rs45,000, and can result in upto three years in prison.
Leopards are now regarded as a ‘near threatened’ endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
They are commonly hunted for their beautiful skins, or because they are believed to be hostile towards humans and their livestock (a source of livelihood). Leopards are known for targeting livestock because hunting domestic animals is easier than hunting wild animals, and the availability of wild animals has sharply decreased due to increasing urbanisation of under-developed areas.
The exact number of the common leopard in the wild, starting from where Punch River enters at the Pakistan-India border all the way down to the Margalla Hills, has never been known.
A leopard spotted in a particular area can also be spotted elsewhere the same day, as they are capable of covering distances of many miles in a single day. This makes it difficult to count their exact number.
Dr Ali Nawaz, a professor in Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad and founder of the Snow Leopard Conservation Trust, conducted research in 2013-2014 on the feeding habits of the common leopard. The research covered
Ayubia National Park and the forests of Nathia Gali, Dunga Gali and Khanspur.
Dr Nawaz tested 100 samples of leopard feces collected in the area and found that livestock made up more than 80 per cent of the leopard’s diet.
