MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Leopards have been rampant in Azad Kashmir’s capital of Muzaffarabad and its surrounding areas, spreading fear among residents.
The big cats have been spotted in broad daylight, attacking cattle in several rural areas and even targeting humans. A young girl was mauled to death in the last fortnight in Jhelum Valley state, highlighting the growing concern.
The affected areas include Bhalgran, Panjgiran, Chattar Klas, Gujran, and the nearby hill settlements of Muzaffarabad.
Locals are demanding immediate action from the Wildlife Department and district administration to protect human lives and property.
They have called for increased patrolling and effective measures to manage leopard populations and prevent attacks.
Eyewitnesses said that the sounds of wild animals have become a norm in the settlements adjacent to the forest at night, while the presence of leopards has also been recorded in security cameras installed outside several houses.
Last month, a Leopard was killed by a sniper team of the Pakistan Army that muled an 8-year-old girl to death and injured a teenage boy in the Jhelum Valley district.
The wild animal mauled an eight-year-old girl to death in a border village of Nalai Dabra’n in Jhelum Valley on Saturday, and later on Sunday afternoon, the animal attacked a teenage boy in the same village, who narrowly escaped death.
Due to their increased presence, in the past, there have been instances of leopards being killed by locals in Azad Kashmir. On July 11, a common leopard was found dead on a road in Muzaffarabad’s Basant Kot village.
A wildlife official has said that the big cat was found dead on Batangi Road.
Earlier this year, a similar incident was reported on April 12, where a rare leopard was killed in the forests of Chakothi, Jhelum Valley district. The animal was first shot and injured before being poisoned and killed in an extremely painful manner.
