Leopard population at the door of extinction

Pakistan happens to be among the few countries in the world home to the leopard population, which has been listed as “vulnerable” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Unfortunately, however, the high prevalence of leopard killings and encroachments into their habitats means that for the upcoming generations, the wild cats will only exist in documentaries or textbooks.

According to Bilal Afridi, a wildlife activist from Landi Kotal, common leopards have been spotted in the mountainous areas of Tirah Valley, Shalman, Dara Adam Khel, and Bagh, in the aftermath of the insurgency in 2006 and 2007, when the departure of the local population to other areas, allowed the forests to grow denser, providing a favorable environment for the leopards to roam and hunt.

“However, with people returning over the past decade, wildlife, particularly the common leopard, faces increasing threats as residents often shoot them upon entering populated areas. Lack of awareness in tribal areas about forest and wildlife conservation means people see no issue in killing the leopards,” explained Afridi.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), around 25 common leopards have been killed in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir during the past one year. In one incident, a local from a tribal district of Khyber along with his friend, killed two common leopard cubs in Dara Adam Khel before posting pictures of the hunt on social media. Similarly, three more common leopards were killed by tribal residents in Tirah Valley this year.

Later in September, a female common leopard was shot and injured by poachers in AJK and was left to die near a river. The Wildlife Department took her to the Islamabad Wildlife Center, where she succumbed to her injuries. The autopsy revealed that the leopard died from severe internal wounds caused by 12-bore shotgun pellets.

Mohammad Wasim, Member of the IUCN and Regional Head of the WWF revealed that common leopards used to be abundant in Pakistan, but their population is now critically endangered.

“The main threats include human-wildlife conflict, poaching, habitat disturbance, and increasing human encroachment into forests. Currently, five common leopards are known to inhabit 20,000 acres of forest in the Ayubia National Park while evidence of 11 more has also been found in the 11,000-acre Galiyat forests, based on genetic research conducted between 2011 and 2013. However, there is no official national data to determine their exact population,” claimed Wasim, who further believed that communities often killed leopards to protect their livestock and crops because they received no compensation for their losses despite the Wildlife Act 2015 clearly stating that any loss to a community should be compensated.

Wasim’s concerns hold value considering the fact that following the FATA and K-P merger in 2018, the Wildlife Act 2015 applied to the tribal areas too however, it was rarely followed. Tariq Afghan, a Peshawar High Court advocate working on animal rights, believed that tribal people lacked awareness on the rights of animals. “Under the Wildlife Act, killing a snow leopard carries a minimum one-year prison sentence and a Rs30,000 fine, with a maximum penalty of three years. For harming a common leopard, the fine ranges from Rs10,000 to Rs45,000, with up to three years in prison. These penalties are too lenient, and offenders often pay a small fine and walk free,” said Afghan.

Dr Uzma Khan, a wildlife conservation specialist, explained to the Express Tribune that common leopards were found in a wide range from plains to mountainous areas. "Whenever leopards enter human settlements, they are either killed or captured and sent to zoos. Collecting population data is challenging due to the resources and time required. Encroachments are happening even in protected parks and forests, where leopards are supposed to be safe. Each leopard needs a range of around 100 square kilometers, and the Ayubia National Park is too small. Expanding these protected areas is essential for their survival, along with preserving their natural habitats and food sources,” urged Dr Khan.