Forum to deal with leopard encounter issue demanded

Recently, leopard got killed after being hit by two vehicles on GT Road

ISLAMABAD:

Experts demanded the quarters concerned to come forward for a collective effort to form a technical forum to gather scientific evidence in order to tackle the growing leopard encounter issue.

Recently, an endangered Common Asian Leopard got killed after being hit by two vehicles on the Grand Trunk Road near Taxila-Sangjani area while chasing its prey.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) team reached the spot, but could not find the body for further probe into the matter. The witness did not cooperate with the team to track the exact location.

The Punjab Wildlife Department team from Rawalpindi district also reached the spot and continued the search along the IWMB team, but remained unsuccessful.

Pakistan Wildlife Foundation Vice Chairman Safwan Ahmed told APP that the endangered species of leopards were taken seriously by the IWMB and stakeholders to ensure its conservation that has thrived in a very short span of time in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). It had resulted into overpopulation of the wildcats that became a nuisance, similar to that in India where leopards were also thriving, he added.

Ahmed said that as a suggestion it could be worked out to capture some of the pairs of leopards that might be sent to the northern areas to control its population in the Margallas and study its territorial spread across the region.

He said the MHNP all around was surrounded by a population that made it vulnerable to human-wildlife conflicts. Ahmed underlined that all mammologists would have to sit together to devise a solution to this problem.

The recent incident of the leopard running into the vehicles on GT Road was an indication of its overpopulation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2022.