Fear grips Islamabad’s Saidpur villagers as four leopards spotted

ISLAMABAD (a1tv news)The spotting of at least four common Asian leopards at Saidpur village created fear among local residents.

The big cats make a rare appearance outside Asian Leopard Preservation Zone, a unique biodiversity spot formed in the country’s federal capital, to protect and preserve leopards.

Reports in local media said Kohsar Police Station officials deployed personnel on the ground to protect people in Daman-i-Koh to avoid any untoward incident.

Islamabad Wildlife Management Board staff visited the area to ensure the protection of people and endangered animals in the evening.

The leopards left the area in the evening while no person was harmed. People however expressed concerns that big cats could return soon in search of cattle.

As residents expressed concerns, Wildlife board officials said the presence of endangered cats depicts a healthy ecosystem in the region, saying these animals did not come to Saidpur, and villagers encroached into the leopards’ area.

The four-legged carnivores remained critically endangered as per the listing of wildlife species of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) while officials formed the country’s first leopard preservation zone at Margalla Hills National Park.