By Hina Kiyani
ISLAMABAD: A female leopard (Malka-Queen) rescued from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)’s Haveli District perished amid rehabilitation efforts of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) here on Thursday as the killer shot hit close to her heart proved fatal for the wildcat.
The AJK Wildlife Department had rescued a severely injured Female Leopard that was hit by gunshots severely impacting her spinal chord whereas her rear paws were also damaged making her unable to stand or walk properly.
The IWMB spokesperson informed that the medical experts successfully removed a shot from the body of a female leopard (queen) whereas three more bullets or slugs in the Queen’s body caused her death.
“One shot hit Malka near the heart and the other near the spinal cord. The veterinarians had also expressed concern for the Queen’s life as the vet had already indicated minimal chances of recovery but still we tried our best as we wanted to give her a chance,” the IWMB official said.
The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board had informed the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Department about the leopard’s death. The AJK Wildlife Department had initiated legal action against the accused, he said.
The body of the leopard was transferred to the Pakistan Museum of Natural History in consultation with the Wildlife Department of Azad Kashmir to preserve the leopard’s taxidermy for research and education purposes.
“We have informed AJK wildlife department that it’s a 12 bore shotgun shot hit from quite close distance with an SG or LG Cartridge,” he said.
The IWMB official clarified that only those wild animals’ taxidermy was made that were considered important for research and education purposes whereas those with the risks of communicable or viral diseases were burried.
He added that taxidermy was an important component required to further research and education purposes to enhance knowledge on the wild species.
