Citizens cautioned against wildlife encounters

IWMB prepares guidelines for Margalla visitors

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has prepared a comprehensive guideline for visitors to create awareness for avoiding leopard encounters and attacks in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

The protected area has emerged as a unique biodiversity-rich nature preserve zone that is thriving with all of its species of birds, plants, animals, reptiles, and insect life. It also had become home to the endangered species of common Asian Leopards that used to descend from higher mountain regions in winter amid heavy snowfall.

The increased patrolling of the wildcats even in day times have been captured in camera traps of the IWMB that had rung alarm bells for the authorities to ensure mass mobilisation and sensitisation to amicably manage the public movement and wildlife in the national park.

IWMB Senior Member Z.B. Mirza prepared an awareness manual for the locals and tourists. He maintained that there was no precedent of human-wildlife conflict in MHNP due to the balanced number of prey available in the natural environment for the big cats.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13^th, 2022.