ISLAMABAD: Experts have called for a collective effort to form a technical forum to gather scientific evidence to tackle the issue of leopard encounters with humans.

Recently, an endangered Common Asian Leopard was killed after being hit by two vehicles on the G.T. Road near Taxila-Sangjani area while chasing its prey.

The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) team reached the spot but could not find the animal’s body and the eye-witness also did not cooperate.

The Punjab Wildlife Department team from Rawalpindi district reached the spot and continued the search along with the IWMB team, but remained unsuccessful.

Vice chairman of Pakistan Wildlife Foundation Safwan Ahmed told this agency that the endangered species of leopards were taken seriously by the IWMB and stakeholders to ensure their conservation. This animal has thrived in a very short span of time in Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).

He said some pairs of leopards could be captured and sent to the northern areas, adding that the MHNP was surrounded by population that made it vulnerable to human-wildlife conflicts.

Mr Ahmed underlined that all mammalogists would have to sit together to devise a solution to this matter.

The recent incident of one of the leopards being hit by a vehicle was an indication of its overpopulation, he said, adding that extensive research would be required to study the problem of growing encounters of leopards with humans.

Referring to his suggestion to address the matter, he said it was a wise scientific guess but not a solution which needed scientific validation through evidence.

Mr Ahmed said there were two main disadvantages of the overpopulation of leopards: an increase in male leopards fighting and rise in the probability of human-wildlife conflict.

Earlier, IWMB Chairperson Rina Saeed Khan wrote on her Twitter account: “This sad incident occurred last night (Tuesday) around 2.15 a.m. on GT road (from Isd to Taxila) below Nicholson monument. Leopard jumped out onto road (chasing a prey?) & got run over by truck. Then was hit by another car whose bumper broke. Common leopard did not survive.”

“A cameraman who was following the car which hit the leopard took this footage last night. We sent IWMB team to recover leopard for autopsy but unfortunately the body has gone missing today. We are trying to locate eyewitnesses to file FIR at local police station in Sangjani.”

She urged people to provide information available in the case.

“If you have any information regarding this incident, please message me directly,” she said, adding that it was illegal to remove the remains of this endangered common leopard.

Published in Dawn, january 2th, 2023