MURREE: A leopard sighting on Mohra Sharif Road, captured on video as the animal emerged from the Kuldana forest, has sparked fear and concern among residents of nearby villages in Murree, highlighting the growing tension between human communities and wildlife.
Conservation experts say the frequency of such encounters has increased in recent years due to habitat fragmentation, poaching, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings following livestock losses.
While leopards are sometimes targeted for their pelts, most killings occur in revenge for attacks on livestock or, in rare cases, humans. These retaliations place further pressure on the already vulnerable species.
Leopard populations in Pakistan are scattered, extending from the north to central regions, including areas as close as the Margalla Hills National Park in Islamabad. Their proximity to expanding human settlements increases the risk of conflict.
Women in rural communities are particularly vulnerable due to their daily responsibilities, such as collecting water and firewood, which often require walking long distances through forests. Conservation groups have been working with local communities to raise awareness and promote safety measures, including group travel—an approach that has helped reduce human-leopard encounters.
Despite these efforts, livestock depredation remains a major challenge. For small-scale farmers, the loss of even a single goat can be a significant economic blow, leading to acts of retaliation despite existing legal protections for leopards.
The Murree sighting comes shortly after a rare appearance of a female snow leopard and her three cubs in Gilgit-Baltistan. Conservationists hailed the event as extraordinary, though just days later, snow leopards reportedly attacked livestock, killing two goats and injuring three others in a nearby village.
The incidents underscore the fragile balance between conservation efforts and rural livelihoods in regions where wildlife and people coexist in close proximity.
