Leopard sighting in Murree sparks fear in nearby villages

Representational image of a leopard resting on a tree. — Pexels

MURREE: Fear and anxiety have gripped several large villages surrounding the Kuldana forest in Murree after a leopard was captured on video emerging from the forest onto Mohra Sharif Road, prompting fresh concerns about human-wildlife conflict in the region.

In recent days, multiple leopards and panthers have been sighted in various forests of Murree.

Conservationists attribute the growing frequency of such encounters to habitat fragmentation, poaching, dwindling wild prey populations, and retaliation killings, often triggered when leopards prey on livestock. 

While leopards are sometimes killed for their pelts, the majority of killings stem from revenge for livestock losses or rare attacks on humans. 

There has been a rise in such incidents in recent years, putting further pressure on a species already considered globally vulnerable.

Pakistan's leopard population, though sparse, ranges from the north to central regions, including even the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad. Proximity to urban areas makes these leopards particularly vulnerable.

Women in rural areas face an elevated risk of leopard encounters due to their traditional responsibilities of collecting water and firewood, tasks that require walking long distances through forested areas. 

Conservation groups have partnered with communities to educate women and schoolchildren on risk-reduction strategies, such as travelling in groups, a measure that has significantly reduced human attacks in recent years.

However, livestock depredation remains widespread. For small-scale farmers, the loss of even a few goats or cattle can be economically devastating, often fuelling retaliatory killings despite legal protections for leopards.

The Murree incident comes on the heels of another high-profile wildlife event in Gilgit-Baltistan, where a female snow leopard and her three cubs were spotted together, a rare occurrence that conservationists described as extraordinary. 

However, only days later, a group of snow leopards reportedly attacked livestock, killing two goats and injuring three others near a village.