Pugmarks show cubs of dead leopardess are alive

Islamabad : The cubs of leopardess, killed by a hunter in Muzaffarabad, are alive as the wildlife rangers of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) have spotted their pugmarks in different villages.

According to the details, IWMB’s wildlife rangers Asad Hayat and Zaheer in collaboration with AJK wildlife staff members spotted pugmarks of leopard’s cubs and found that they have also hunted a goat from a nearby village.

The wildlife rangers have placed camera traps at different locations to trace these cubs that are believed to be fighting for their survival after the killing of their mother leopard.

They have also pointed out that the cubs apparently are not able to hunt wildlife animals due to which they killed a goat from a village that was comparatively more vulnerable prey for them.

The pugmarks showed that these cubs were aged between six to eight months and not old enough to defend themselves against poachers and predators.

The local administration has also asked the local people to not attack these cubs and instead inform the authorities if they find them anywhere around them.

The IWMB chairperson said it is yet to see whether these cubs would be able to continue to survive in wild without a mother to teach them how to hunt other prey.

“We hope to get some images soon on our camera traps. If they are taken from the wild they would not be able to go back. Once we have images we can make better decisions,” she said.

She said “We will work with AJK wildlife to ensure the best outcome. The best hope is they can live on in beautiful mountain forests of Kashmir.”