GUJAR KHAN: Rumours about the presence of leopard in the Domeli jungles created panic among the residents of Johda Narha area of the hilly terrain of Tarraki.

According to the wild life department, in fact people suspect the killing of three goats was the doing of the animal.

Talking to Dawn, assistant director of wild life department Asim Cheema said throats of goats were found slit, which did not confirm that they were killed by the wildcat as no human was injured and neither had anybody come up with the statement that he had witnessed the leopard.

However, the officer said the cat did not enter any human locality and did not even challenge life of any human being.

Mr Cheema further said that he had warned the locals of the area that if they spotted the leopard or the cat like that it should not be killed because being an endangered species it enjoyed protected status.

He said: “Even if we accept that the goats were killed by the cat, it is living in its natural habitat and does not enter human localities outside its habitat.”

The wild life officer refuted the rumours at social media that some villagers were injured and that somebody had spotted the cat attacking some body or some animal.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2019