Rare breed leopard shot dead by Dera Bugti locals

QUETTA: A rare breed leopard was shot dead by locals in the Sui area of Dera Bugti, Balochistan, in another incident of harming animals in the country where wildlife remains endangered.

The incident emerged on Monday with videos of locals holding rifles, taking out the lifeless body of an adult leopard from a cave and then carrying it away in the open.   

Five of the armed men featuring the clips were also seen posing for a picture with the dead feline, who was shot at least thrice as apparent in the videos. 

The Dera Bugti administration said that a first information report (FIR) had been registered against the individuals involved in the wild animal's killing and investigation was underway.

Earlier, a case of bodies of leopard cubs, who were allegedly shot dead in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) a day before Eid ul Adha, also surfaced last week. 

The mattercame to the fore after some social media user posted the pictures of lifeless baby felines, sending AJK wildlife authorities on toes to locate them. 

As per Pakistan Wildlife Department, the common leopard is listed as a protected species and is illegal to hunt in all provincial laws of the country. 

The leopards are confined to the northern Pakistan with infrequent reports of sighting in some areas of Balochistan.

Besides deforestation and pelt business as a major threat, the mammal is endangered due to frequent occurences of attacks in their habitat due to illeteracy of locals.