Endangered snow leopards on killing spree

GILGIT: Wild snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are on the rampage in Gilgit-Baltistan as dozens of domesticated animals have been killed by these otherwise highly endangered wildcats, sources said on Monday.

“Over 40 cattle have been killed in Murkhun village of Gojal a day after Eid as the beast broke into a cattle house at night and attacked them,” Mayoon Khan, a resident of Gojal told The Express Tribune on Monday. “We are trying to capture photos of the dead animals to submit their case to relevant authorities,” he added.

Rehman Posh, a resident of Gojal, who is also actively involved in community-based conservation initiatives, said that three of his brother’s cattle have also been killed by the snow leopard, species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the Red Data Book as a globally endangered animal. He said that people avoid taking revenge to protect the extinct animal.

District forests officer from the wildlife department, Ghulam Mohammad, said that he has no details about the incident, adding that there are other officials dealing with the issue. Ghulam said that in the past year, over 26 cattle had been killed in an ambush by a snow leopard in Bargo area, after a shepherd took them to a pasture.

Of the latest spree of killings, nine cattle owned by Rehman Khan Gujar and his son were reportedly killed by a leopard in Danyore last week, an official said.

According to official statistics, it is estimated that the total population of this rare animal is 7,000 to 10,000, of which approximately 300 are found in Pakistan. The attacks on domesticated animals by leopards are frequent across Gilgit-Baltistan as the cattle prove to be an easy prey in the absence of Markhor and other wild animals found in the mountains, which serve as their natural food. In the past, famers have not been compensated by the government or other relevant organisations for their losses.

Locals say that they will not kill the snow leopard but add that they are worried about safety of their cattle, which is an essential means of livelihood for many families. It is feared that if the killings are not controlled, locals might resort to killing the leopards.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2010.