IWMB offers sanctuary to leopard cubs

Author: Ali Jabir

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) has received two cubs of Common Asian Leopard, rescued from the poachers by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Wildlife from the scenic Jabri town of Haripur District.

Chairperson, IWMB, Rina Saeed Khan during a news conference informed the media that since Leopard mating season starts in February, the citing ratio of leopards in the wild increases with an increasing threat of poaching and hunting of the endangered cat species.

Khan said the KP Wildlife Department has transferred those two-month-old cubs, named as Nilo and Sultan, to the IWMB due to its reputation of the only wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre running successfully at the erstwhile Islamabad Zoo.

She said, “A pair of Common Asian Leopard cubs was found by the KP Wildlife Department without their mother that left the young wildcats susceptible to poaching and illegal trafficking. However, since wildlife cubs and newborns require great and their survival ratio in Zoo or captivity without expert care is almost zero.”

She added that initially the KP Wildlife Department took the rescued cubs to Abbottabad and tried to find their mother so that they could be reunited but of no help.

“We requested the KP Wildlife Department to give the cubs to the IWMB and thanks to Secretary IPC KP Syed Nazar Hussain Shah who helped us get these leopards,” she added.

IWMB and Second Chance Wildlife will collaborate to provide the necessary care for the young leopards, who require special attention due to their age. Upon arrival at the Rescue Centre in Islamabad, the cubs underwent a thorough health check-up by a veterinarian and were found to be in good health, although they will require vaccines and de-worming, she added.

However, both organizations will work together to determine a permanent home for the leopards, as they are unable to be released back into the wild. The former zoo site, which spans over 28 acres of land, offers ample space to create a sanctuary for the two leopards, she added.