Rescued leopard cubs find refuge with IWMB

Vulnerable big cats get a second chance at life after being saved from poachers

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has received two cubs of Common Asian Leopard, rescued from the poachers by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Wildlife from the scenic Jabri town of Haripur District.

Addressing a news conference, IWMB Chairperson Rina Saeed Khan informed the media that since leopard mating season starts in February, the citing ratio of leopards in the wild increases with an increasing threat of poaching and hunting of the endangered cat species.

Khan said the K-P Wildlife Department has transferred those two-month-old cubs, named Nilo and Sultan, to the IWMB due to its reputation as the only wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre running successfully at the erstwhile Islamabad Zoo.

She said, “A pair of Common Asian Leopard cubs was found by the K-P Wildlife Department without their mother leaving the young wildcats susceptible to poaching and illegal trafficking. However, since wildlife cubs and new-borns require great and their survival ratio in Zoo or captivity without expert care is almost zero.”

She added that initially the K-P Wildlife Department took the rescued cubs to Abbottabad and tried to find their mother so that they could be reunited but of no help. “We requested the K-P Wildlife Department to give the cubs to the IWMB and thanks to Secretary IPC K-P Syed Nazar Hussain Shah who helped us get these leopards,” she added.

IWMB and Second Chance Wildlife will collaborate to provide the necessary care for the young leopards, who require special attention due to their age.

Read: IWMB launches probe into death of rare leopard

Upon arrival at the Rescue Centre in Islamabad, the cubs underwent a thorough health check-up by a veterinarian and were found to be in good health, although they will require vaccines and de-worming, she added.

However, both organisations will work together to determine a permanent home for the leopards, as they are unable to be released back into the wild. The former zoo site, which spans over 28 acres of land, offers ample space to create a sanctuary for the two leopards, she added.

“The common leopard, classified as critically endangered in Pakistan by WWF-Pakistan, faces severe threats from hunting across the country. It is imperative that we take all necessary measures to protect and preserve these majestic animals before they vanish from our forests,” she said.

She said the board had close collaboration with K-P, AJK, Punjab and Sindh wildlife departments as it was the only rescue centre of its kind that provides expert care for rehabilitation and releases wild animals into their natural habitats as its top priority.

“The feed is expensive, and these leopards are eating chicken. We have civil society donors, and a diplomatic community supporting us, so we have no funding constraints,” she added.

She said as per the two-year-old camera trap study of IWMB there are around a dozen, or eight leopards inhabiting the Margalla Hills National Park and show a thriving trend of growth. However, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF-Pakistan) has provided to hold the next phase of the camera trap study to ascertain the exact situation, she said.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28^th, 2024.