Leopard Cats in Margalla Hills National Park Islamabad

Islamabad: Two more leopards will arrive in the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) which would increase the leopard population to nine after so many years of witnessing the loss of habitat due to human interventions.

According to the details, the Sindh Wildlife Department has recently rescued two leopard cubs and now it has decided to shift them to a Rehabilitation Centre in the national park. The cubs would be given rehab facilities and necessary medical treatment by a group of wildlife experts. These are considered to be native species of the Margalla Hills and will finally become permanent residents of the national park. They are also likely to be given names like other leopards in the national park. Now two more leopards will be added to them in the Leopard Preserve Zone recently inaugurated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam.

The IWMB has a temporary rehabilitation centre but it intends to set up a permanent wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre in line with international practices. The loss of natural habitats had forced the leopard population to leave the Margalla Hills. But series of lockdowns after the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic paved the way for their return to the national park that is located only ten kilometres away from the residential areas.

The IWMB chairperson said, “We will receive two leopard cubs from the Sindh Wildlife Department that would spend some time in the Rehabilitation Centre.” “If possible after rehab we will release them into the wild inside the national park as they are native to this hilly area,” she said.