ISLAMABAD: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department has moved two common leopard pups to the rescue and rehabilitation center (the former Islamabad zoo), emphasizing the safe rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals.
The press was extended an invitation by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) to share the news on Tuesday. Sultan and Neelo, who were about two months old and had unkempt fur and noticeable rosettes, growled and snarled softly at the cameramen. The male and female cubs cautiously approached the enclosure’s barrier to smell the cameras while hiding behind their two caregivers inside.
“The cubs are doing well medically. They’re recognizing the caretakers as parents already. IWMB Chairperson Rina Saeed Khan stated that it might not be able to release hand-raised animals into the wild, where they might not be able to hunt and survive on their own.
She alluded to the ample room at the rescue and rehabilitation center where a spacious enclosure could be constructed for the two. Rina Saeed Khan rejected the idea of transporting the two overseas, in contrast to Baboo, the exotic male Bengal tiger who was saved and brought to a sizable open sanctuary in South Africa.
The two common leopards will stay in Margalla Hills and Galiyat, which are native to Pakistan, she continued.
The cubs were sighted in a bush in Jabri, a village in the Haripur district, according to Sub-Divisional Wildlife Officer, Haripur Wildlife Department, Muhammad Awais Khan, who spoke with Dawn. The sighting was reported by gypsies to the village council.
“As soon as the local council broke the news, we went in to save the cubs. The cubs were moved to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, the only rescue and rehabilitation facility, from Abottabad, he said.
To find the truth, Awais Khan and his group spoke with people for two to three days. It remained unclear if their mother had died or had deserted her cubs. The locals were obliged to report to the wildlife department and cooperate with its employees, as required by the wildlife official.
The IWMB reported that big cat moms frequently left their babies behind.
According to Rina Saeed Khan, “cubs can rarely be reunited with their mothers once abandoned.”
The provincial departments of wildlife and forests have established a functional working partnership with the IWMB. Not just the two leopard cubs were moved to the rescue and rehabilitation facility in need of better care.
The IWMB received monkeys via rail from the Sindh wildlife department. The board had saved a leopard two weeks prior that had fractured paws and broken teeth. The cub was moved from Jammu & Kashmir’s Azad region (AJK).
Rina Saeed Khan stated, “Unfortunately, the cub could not be rescued and passed away of pneumonia three days ago.”
Rab Nawaz, Senior Director of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), informed the media that “sadly, most wildlife in Pakistan is no longer common, especially the common leopards.” They are in risk of being extinct, so act now.
According to him, locals caught leopards as prey, and the cubs were then sold on the underground market.
Still, the IWMB had donned team jackets from Second Chance, a volunteer organization that raises money to aid in the rescue and rehabilitation of wild animals back into their native habitats.
