Leopard spotted at QAU

A leopard was spotted near the Earth Sciences Department of the Quaid-e-Azam University on early Friday morning, prompting varsity administration to advise students and faculty to remain watchful.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) and Islamabad police were informed by the university administration and a team of the IWMB visited the university to confirm the presence of the wildcat.

An IWMB official said the leopard might have descended from the hills of the national park to drink water and probably returned to its natural environment afterward.

The board official also said the university’s security staff at around 8am observed the movement of the wildcat near the varsity building. “Our team went and scanned the entire area but did not find the animal at that site. Probably, the leopard moved back to its natural habitat that is very near to the QAU’s backside,” he added. A picture captured on the site projected a pug mark of the leopard which was being examined by the board team to ascertain the wildcat’s presence.

According to IWMB’s ZB Mirza, leopards are shy animals from the cat family that avoid human encounters and prefer an elusive life in their natural habitat. However, it is the top predator of the national park and could harm humans if provoked.

He had also prepared detailed guidelines for the members of the public venturing into the national park to take precautionary measures.

The crux of those guidelines was to avoid venturing into the jungle after sunset and before sunrise, he added.

A recent video by a local hiker at Trail-5 captured during Ramazan spotting a leopard that scarcely focused on human presence in the environment and left the spot without any damage.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2023.