Kaghan Development Authority (KDA) and Wildlife department officials on Sunday rescued an injured leopard on the Kaghan Highway and transferred it to Dhodial Pheasantry, Mansehra for treatment. Range Officer Wildlife Farhan Tariq, while talking to the media, said the leopard was allegedly hit by a vehicle as it sustained injuries on the legs and back. After a complete examination, the leopard was transferred to the pheasantry for further medical assistance, he added.
According to Range Officer, the age of this male leopard was more than one year. Dr Ayaz of Dhodial Peasantry told APP that the leopard was stable in their custody and “we have provided him with initial treatment and kept him in the cage.” He further said the leopard was fainting with pain when it was brought into the pheasantry “but now it is in aggressive mode after getting initial treatment and stabilization”.
This was the second incident of leopard injury during the last two and a half months on Kaghan Highway. In the first incident, an injured cheetah was recovered by both KDA and the wildlife department. It was shifted to Dhodial, too but the cheetah could not survive and succumbed to injuries unfortunately.
Dr Ayaz informed the media that every effort was made to save the cheetah’s life, but due to a critical head injury, it went into a coma. It was about four to five years of age. He said the head injury of the cheetah showed that it fell from a high hill while chasing its prey and received critical injuries. “We have found no signs of torture on its body.” Later, the dead body of the cheetah was shifted to Abbottabad for postmortem.—APP
