Common Asian leopard spotted in Margalla’s Trail-5

ISLAMABAD     -    A common Asian Leopard was spotted on Trail-5 of the Margalla Hills Nation­al Park (MHNP), here, on Monday by a trekker early in the morning. Ac­cording to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Chairper­son Rina Saeed Khan that during Ramazan very few people visit trails at MHNP which makes the national park deserted and open for wildlife to stroll. Rina Saeed Khan said leopard though noc­turnal was a very shy and solitaire wildcat that deliberately evades hu­man encounters. As, it is visible in the video that the leopard noticed the human being making his or her video but soon left the spot and disappeared in the wild, she added. The IWMB Chairperson emphasised that the leopards were least in­terested in humans and were not a threat in the protected area but rather indicated a healthy eco­system. She urged the masses to avoid disturb­ing the wildlife in na­tional park as it is their habitat and the humans are intruding into it. “Vis­itors, hikers and trekkers are requested to remain careful and avoid visiting the national park half an hour before sunset.

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