A common male leopard found aged approximately between 10 and 15 years was found dead in a ravine in Sinyari Forest in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) last week.
A common male leopard found aged approximately between 10 and 15 years was found dead in a ravine in Sinyari Forest in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) last week.
The video of the poor creature spread like a wildfire on social media platforms recently, with netizens alleging that the leopard was deliberately killed by locals.
However, the Chairperson of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), Rina Satti, has rejected the allegations against locals after National Veterinary Laboratory issued the toxin report of the leopard.
Taking to Twitter, Rina penned that no pathogen was detected and no foul play was behind the unfortunate incident. The leopard probably died from natural causes such as cardiac arrest and a fall, which is why its skull was fractured.
The body of the 10-year-old male leopard was found in a ravine in Sinyari, adjacent to Kalinjer, behind the Naval Defence Complex last week. There were fears that villagers might have poisoned the apex predator especially after it was spotted on a rooftop of a house in Saidpur village almost three weeks ago. The sighting had spread panic among villagers.
However, the IWMB said the leopard had possibly fallen and died after sustaining head injury. An investigation revealed a fracture on the head. There were no bullet wounds or scratches on the body and no blood or foaming around the mouth of the dead animal.
The IWMB also argued that the older leopard had intruded into the territory of a younger leopard and the younger leopard prevailed. The rosette pattern of the older leopard did not match any of the feline recording in the inventory of the IWMB. The board said Sinyari was a more isolated forest in the Margalla Hills National Park and had always been known to have housed a common leopard.
Trail 6 is no longer open to the public due to the presence of leopards. However, IWMB offers guided tours on the trail to enable wildlife enthusiasts to learn more about the leopard, which is also a source of revenue for the IWMB to efficiently look after the leopards.
Originally published at Pro Pakistani