Six men arrested for killing leopard
Locals have killed a common leopard in the Zerran village of Kurram district after it attacked and injured some hunting dogs.
The leopard was reportedly killed on July 15, however, images of the gruesome act did not emerge until July 18 when the pictures were shared on social media.
The images soon went viral and elicited an outcry. Subsequently, officials from the Kohat District Wildlife Department visited the area and arrested at least six people suspected for the killing.
Locals said that the leopard had attacked the dogs of hunters in the mountains. In response, the hunters rushed to the spot and shot the leopard, killing it at the spot.
Kohat District Forest Officer (DFO) Samad Wazir, who also overlooks wildlife conservation in the erstwhile federally administered tribal area of Kurram, told The Express Tribune that they have yet to set up wildlife protection measures in the newly merged districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
He added that he has visited the area where the leopard was killed and that they have now registered a case against those involved.
The district forest officer added that killing a common leopard is a crime and carries a penalty of Rs150,000 on the violators.
Since the beginning of the year, at least three leopards have been killed in different parts of the province.
In January this year, a leopard was killed in Sarbanda village in Matta tehsil of Swat after it attacked and injured two villagers.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2020.