KARACHI: A day after some villagers shot dead a leopard in the Kirthar National Park, a Sindh wildlife department team transported the body of the big cat to its office in Karachi following legal proceedings in Jamshoro district to determine its origin.

The male big cat was killed during the night between Monday and Tuesday in the Bachal Sunehro village located in the Kirthar National Park. The department has lodged an FIR at the Sindh Wildlife Protection police station in Kotri against five villagers, saying their claim about being forced to kill the animal to save their life and livestock was not correct.

“The evidence we have collected so far clearly indicates that the villagers hunted down the poor animal which is why we have initiated criminal proceedings,” said Sindh Wildlife Conservator Javed Ahmed Mahar.

“Among other things, they couldn’t produce the remains of the goats that they had claimed were attacked and killed by the leopard,” he added.

The big cat’s remains were recovered from a house in the same area, where shooting took place, he added.

According to him, the punishment of killing a leopard is five years in prison and Rs1.2 million fine.

“While leopard’s killing is unfortunate, what’s positive is that now we have solid grounds to work on the big cats and their conservation. The area of the park and the surroundings of Karachi have been known to have small numbers of big cats,” Mr Mahar said.

He said that an analysis of the leopards’ samples would help determine its origin. “It seems there is a limited population of these big cats in the park that have learnt to adapt to the changing life and threats. They are shy and nocturnal by nature.”

The Kirthar National Park has historically been home to leopards. Their population has almost gone extinct over the decades due to habitat degradation. The last sighting was recorded in the 1970s. Wildlife officials believe that the floods in recent years have rehabilitated their habitats.

Last year, enraged villagers in the Thar area killed a leopard that had hunted on their cattle. The predator was believed to have crossed borders and entered the desert district of the province from neighbouring India.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2024