By Ambreen Ali
The leopard is both a dangerous and a beautiful animal. Most of the people only view it from a distance and then leave after taking some pictures, but many people love it and it even falls into the category of pets. Recently, there have been numerous reports of injured leopards, but fortunately, Pakistan has wildlife authorities who can be considered saviors of these animals.
In Haveli District, administered by Pakistan-administered Kashmir, the Wildlife Department has recently rescued a large leopard. A Wildlife representative informed us that the leopard is in an injured state with a severely wounded hind paw, making immediate rescue essential. According to the Wildlife representative, the leopard was spotted by local people near the Nala-e-Bitar area, close to the District Headquarters Kahuta, between six and seven in the morning. Some individuals who went to extract sand from the nala saw the leopard and contacted us.
The Wildlife representative mentioned that the leopard was found in a state of pain, moaning as if asking for help. Seeing the crowd, the leopard began to roar. Since it was in the nala, rescuing it was quite challenging.
We often fear animals, but it should be noted that this animal is actually scared of humans because it needs help. Given its size, it appears to be between two and a half years old. The leopard’s hind body is affected, but it is too early to determine the exact cause of the injury. No blood was found where the leopard was rescued, nor are there visible wounds on its body. It might have been hit by a vehicle.
The only option was the Islamabad Wildlife team. The representative said that when contacted from Kashmir, they immediately prepared to reach the location and, before arriving, refrained from administering any medicine or injections. The Wildlife team will determine the nature of the injuries and the cause only after an examination. They will decide whether to treat the leopard locally or bring it to Islamabad. Sakawat Ali, a member of the Wildlife Board team, stated that they arrived in Haveli and transferred the leopard to a cage. There was a large crowd present. The leopard’s hind legs are injured. For now, only anesthesia will be administered, and no food will be given.
After reaching Islamabad, an X-ray will reveal the actual problem.Last month, on August 22, the Islamabad Wildlife Board had released a female leopard back into its natural habitat in Pakistan-administered Kashmir after treatment. I had also written about this leopard, which had been trapped in tree branches and had broken its tail. The animal was under medical care at the Islamabad Wildlife Board’s rescue center for five weeks. It is hoped that the Wildlife team will also successfully rehabilitate this leopard and send it back to the valleys of Kashmir soon.
