WWF provided funds for research on leopard

LAHORE - The Human Welfare and Nature Conservation Society (HWNCS) has provided financial support to WWF – Pakistan to promote research and conservation of the common leopard in Ayubia National Park, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This funding will promote research in collaboration with the University of Siena, Italy and will develop media products with the Walkabout Films (Pvt) Ltd.
The media products such as documentaries will help in enhancing understanding amongst the people who live and share the habitat and resources with the animals. Recently there have been incidences of the leopard attacks on humans and understanding the behaviour of leopards can help in protecting both people and animals.
The research will explore the movement of leopard through satellite collars, diet analysis and integrate genetics study and camera trapping to determine the population of leopards. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department is a key partner and is providing field support towards this initiative.
The common leopard is an endangered species and has been declining because of conflict with local communities as leopards attack livestock. These have been exasperated because of rapid decline in the forest cover, free grazing of livestock in forest areas and illegal hunting of the natural prey species of leopards.