Wildlife Dept seizes leopard cub fleeing snowfall

MANSEHRA: The Wildlife Department has seized a leopard cub that had left its natural habitat because of the heavy snowfall in Ghanool forests in the Kaghan valley.

“We have seized a cub that came down to Khalian village from nearby mountainous forest because of the heavy snow there,” Khursheed Abbasi, a Wildlife Department official, told reporters Tuesday. He said a villager, Azizur Rehman, had called and informed us about the presence of the wild creature in Khalian village. A team of the department rushed to the scene and shifted the leopard cub to Dodial pheasantry, he added. “We have started curing the seized leopard. It would remain under constant care until its full recovery,” said the official. To a query, the official said it was yet to be decided whether the seized leopard cub would be released in the forest where from it had come down or not. The high mountains, which are the natural habitat for the leopard, have received record snowfall in a decade which might cause displacement of such other wild creatures, particularly in Kaghan, Siran and Konsh valleys,” said Khursheed Abbasi.

The official said because of the heavy snowfall this winter the rare species of pheasants including Khalij, Koklass and Monal had temporarily migrated from high mountains to plains in Hazara division to avoid harsh weather.