ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has warned the local people at Margalla Hills National Park to take extra measures and precautions due to the increased presence of wild leopards during this winter season, local media reported on Saturday.
Leopards Sighting at Margalla Hills National Park, Islamabad
The IWMB official statement said that the wild leopards were mostly seen close to the rural population of the National Park in the winter season. According to the statement, the locals and tourists should avoid unnecessary movement in Margalla Hills National Park.
Moreover, the locals should not send their cattle to the forest for Margalla Hills National Park for grazing. The Wildlife Board urged the masses to keep livestock in safe places within walled enclosures during the night. Likewise, the households near the forest should not leave small children, women, and aged people unnecessarily in the park.
The IWMB said that disruption of the leopard’s natural habitat could be harmful. It also cautioned that it was an offense to harm a leopard and persons found guilty of the crime would be fined as per the law.
Leopards enter Saidpur village Islamabad
Earlier, officials said that around four Asian Leopards on Thursday evening entered Saidpur village, Islamabad. According to an official of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), the staff of its team also rushed to the area to ensure the protection of the people and the Asian Leopards after it received the information.
He said that according to the information a few leopards were spotted in Saidpur village at 1930 hours.
Leopards are shy in nature He said the people had gathered in Saidpur village like ‘spectators of a fun fair’ which was risky because the leopards are human shy in nature. He said that the wild animal could have been provoked and instigated by human sounds and might have attacked the people.
He rejected the private media news of dozen goats and cows being killed by the leopards. He said that the leopards had only attacked a goat and left it after the locals created noise. He further said that the leopards left the area after a while and no person was harmed.
He told APP “The leopards have not intruded in the human settlement rather humans have encroached into their habitat as the leopard attacked the goats in a newly built dwelling by the locals which is illegal and within the national park.” The Kohsar Police Station said that the policemen were deployed on ground to protect people in the area. APP
