Panic has spread through several villages near the Kuldana forest in Murree after a leopard was recently filmed emerging onto Mohra Sharif Road, raising fresh concerns about increasing human-wildlife encounters in the area.
In recent weeks, residents have reported sightings of multiple leopards and panthers across Murree’s forested regions. Experts link this rise in visibility to a combination of shrinking natural habitats, illegal hunting, declining prey availability, and retaliatory killings by locals—typically in response to attacks on livestock.
While leopards are occasionally hunted for their fur, most are killed following livestock predation or, in rare cases, aggression towards humans. These threats have intensified pressures on the leopard population, which is already considered vulnerable at the global level.
Pakistan’s leopards inhabit a wide range stretching from northern to central regions, including areas close to major urban centers like Islamabad’s Margalla Hills National Park. Their proximity to human settlements puts them at even greater risk.
Women living in remote rural communities face particular dangers due to their daily chores, such as fetching water and collecting firewood—tasks that often require venturing deep into forests. To address this, conservation organizations have collaborated with local communities to promote safety practices, especially among women and schoolchildren. Measures such as moving in groups have contributed to a noticeable decline in attacks.
Despite this progress, livestock losses remain a serious problem. For many smallholder farmers, the death of even a few animals can be financially crippling. This economic strain frequently leads to retaliatory actions, despite existing wildlife protection laws.
The Murree sighting closely follows another notable wildlife occurrence in Gilgit-Baltistan, where a female snow leopard was seen with three cubs—an extremely rare observation celebrated by conservationists. However, just days later, a separate group of snow leopards attacked a herd of goats near a local village, killing two and injuring three others, reigniting tensions between wildlife conservation and rural livelihoods.
Now these locals will soon start hunting them down.