PESHAWAR: The residents of Tirah valley of the Khyber tribal district killed two cubs of the common leopard the other day, a wildlife official said on Friday.

He said locals spotted the leopard cubs in the mountains and killed both of them. At least six leopards have been killed in Tirah valley so far this year, the official added.

He said the leopards living in the remote mountains of Tirah valley sometimes descended on the residential areas in search of food. Due to lack of awareness regarding wildlife importance and protection, precious animals were being killed whenever they came in contact with the human population, he maintained.

The wildlife official said these leopards were declared as protected species, but the local people, unaware of their importance in the ecological system, killed them in fear of being attacked. Such incidents, he said had put the survival of this species in danger.

He said the police and wildlife department had arrested one of the accused for killing the leopard cubs.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2023