LAHORE: The WWF-Pakistan captured a rare moment of a snow leopard hunting a Himalayan ibex in Khunjerab National Park, approximately 15 kilometres from the Pak-China border.

A video of the hunt was released on Wednesday to commemorate World Wildlife Day, according to a press release issued by World Wide Fund for Nature. The video shows a snow leopard chasing a herd of Himalayan ibex on steep cliffs. After successfully capturing one, the leopard can be seen feasting on the carcass and is then joined by two other cats.

The video, which was recorded by a wildlife photographer, Muhammad Osama, shows the cat in its natural habitat hunting for prey, indicating a healthy and thriving ecosystem that supports large populations of Himalayan ibex and snow leopards in the area.

According to Osama, he followed the ibex herd in -18 degree Celsius while searching for fresh snow leopard pugmarks, which eventually confirmed the presence of leopards in the area.

Talking about the video, Hammad Naqi Khan, the WWF-Pakistan director general, said he hopes it will create awareness about the wildlife found in Pakistan and the responsibility to protect it. He also shared that many species in Pakistan, and globally, face mounting threats due to deforestation and human encroachment, which leads to habitat degradation, while new threats such as unsustainable infrastructure and climate change are also emerging.

WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 shows that in less than 50 years, human activity has resulted in wildlife populations plummeting by an average of 68 per cent globally. If serious efforts are not made, some of these animals will head to extinction in the near future.

Mr Khan also urged the government to ensure that the existing protected areas in the country are managed and restored, so that wildlife can flourish in healthy landscapes.

Earlier in January, WWF-Pakistan had also filmed a herd of 50 Himalayan ibex near Passu Glacier in Hunza.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2021