KOTLI (Kashmir English): Another common leopard has been found dead in the Charhoi Tehsil of Kotli, after which the number of leopard deaths in Azad Kashmir this month has reached four.
The continuous killing of leopards in Azad Kashmir has threatened the extinction of the species.
According to initial reports, two of the leopards died of gunshot wounds, one died of a heart attack, while the medical report of the other is yet to come.
On the information of a citizen in Charhoi, the AJK Wildlife Department has taken the leopard to their center and started an investigation.
Earlier, on February 13, a critically injured common leopard was brought from Haveli Kahuta, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board’s Rescue Centre.
The leopard died despite emergency surgery. IWMB officials said the leopard had six gunshot pellets, including one lodged in the spine that caused paralysis of its hind limbs.
“The officials said the specimen had been handed over to the Pakistan Museum of Natural History for preservation and to support educational and research initiatives,” IWMB said in a post on X.
According to experts, indiscriminate deforestation and lack of food are endangering wildlife.
Citizens and environmental groups are demanding that the government and relevant institutions take immediate and emergency measures to protect wildlife so that the ecological balance is maintained and rare species are protected.
