Injured female leopard rescued from AJK in 'critical condition'

Condition of injured female leopard with bullet wounds in her body began to deteriorate recently

By |
The injured female leopard rescued from AJK can be seen in a cage at the Islamabad Wildlife Rescue Center. — X/@rinasaeed
The injured female leopard rescued from AJK can be seen in a cage at the Islamabad Wildlife Rescue Center. — X/@rinasaeed

ISLAMABAD: An injured female leopard is in critical condition after being rescued from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) recently, according to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board's (IWMB) rescue centre.

The injured leopard was rescued from a water channel in AJK's Haveli area by wildlife guards from the Azad Kashmir Wildlife Department on September 7.

It was then handed her over to the IWMB for treatment at the board's rescue center, called the Islamabad Wildlife Rescue Center (IWRC).

Doctors at the Islamabad Wildlife Rescue Center can be seen examining the injured female leopards injuries. — Photo by author
Doctors at the Islamabad Wildlife Rescue Center can be seen examining the injured female leopard's injuries. — Photo by author

After examining the wild cat's X-ray report, doctors at the IWRC discovered four bullet wounds in the leopard's body.

The doctors at the rescue center have so far managed to extract one bullet from the leopard's wounds, with two of the remaining bullets stuck near the leopard's spine and one near the chest.

However, the condition of the injured female leopard recently began to deteriorate.

At the time of the leopard's rescue, the animal was unable to stand or move its hindlegs despite exhibiting no visible external wounds or bleeding, leading the team to suspect severe internal injuries.

The rescue team had managed to secure the startled animal by placing a rope around its neck and then safely encaging it in a net.

The rescue team was forced to use traditional methods to rescue the animal due to a lack of specialised equipment, such as a dart gun.