GILGIT: Four staffers of Wildlife department and three other volunteers risked their lives to rescue an endangered snow leopard on Friday.
According to details, the unsung heroes found an injured snow leopard and to give it the due treatment, they walked for at least 24 hours to shift the endangered animal to an animal rescue centre in Niltar Valley on a make-shift cage while bearing foot bruises.
Initially, the seven men took their jeep to reach the rescue centre, but as the connecting roads were blocked due to heavy snowfall, they started their journey on foot. On their arrival at the Niltar Valley, the men were shifted to a medical centre. According to hospital authorities, the injured men are now out of danger.
According to WWF Pakistan, over 81’000 sq km area in Karakorum and Hindu Kush mountain ranges of the Himalayas are potential habitats of the snow leopard, with an approximate population of 400-450 animals.
It further said that the snow leopard (Uncia uncia) habitat is currently restricted to Asia in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and possibly also in Myanmar.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s Red List has classified snow leopards as ‘most endangered’. But despite their importance, for they are considered an ‘iconic flagship species of the mountains of Central Asia’ in Pakistan, they continue to face threats.
