A Persian leopard was seen after a long time in the complex and difficult mountain range of Nani Mandir near Hingol National Park around 230km away from Karachi at a three hour drive on Makran Highway in Balochistan.
A pilgrim at the temple made a video of the leopard roaming around, with his cell phone. This species of leopard is included in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The population of this particular species of leopard in Pakistan has reduced to 200.
The population of the Persian leopard known as Phuling in the local language is endangered, said Moazzam Khan, Technical Adviser at WWF.
The footage shows the leopard is roaming on the rocky mountain of Hingol National Park.
Moazzam mentioned that the presence of the Persian leopard has been confirmed by Chief Conservator Wildlife Balochistan, Sharifuddin Baloch. Apart from Balochistan, this species of leopard is also found in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Moazzam Khan, the number of leopards of this species has reduced to 1,200 worldwide, out of which around 800 are present in Iran while around 200 are found in Pakistan. The Persian leopard is also found in Turkey.
As their number has decreased, it is feared that somewhere in the world this particular species of leopard has suffered extinction.
Moreover, Persian leopards are found near the Hub River in Balochistan besides Kirthar National Park in Sindh. There is a dire need to create awareness among people regarding this animal. This magnificent animal is now rarely seen in these areas. The Persian leopard was earlier found in a large part of Balochistan, especially in the coastal areas but due to its hunting and acute shortage of it's food on mountain such as wild goat, aryal, sheep and chinkara, the population of this species is decreasing.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2024.
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