QUETTA: For the first time in history, a pair of endangered Persian leopards have been spotted near Balochistan’s Koh-e-Chiltan. The Balochistan Forest and Wildlife Department has released pictures of the rare species of the leopard today (Thursday).
Spokesperson of the Balochistan government, Liaquat Shahwani, also shared the news on Twitter. “The provincial government is taking steps for the protection and survival of wildlife,” Liaquat Shahwani added.
#کوئٹہ ہزار گنجی کوہ چلتن میں نایاب نسل کے تیندوے کی موجودگی، محکمہ جنگلات اور وائلڈ لائف نے تصویریں جاری کر دیئے۔
بلوچستان حکومت جنگلی حیات کے تحفظ و بقاء کیلئے اقدامات کررہی ہے pic.twitter.com/hwARgTmX8A
— Liaquat Shahwani (@LiaquatShahwani) May 20, 2021
Meanwhile, Chief Conservator of Forests Sharifuddin announced that the pair of leopards was filmed after the efforts of six months. “The team started to search the pair of leopards after fighting footprints at Mount Chaltan,” he added.
The Caucasian or Persian leopard is a sub-species found in countries such as Iran, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Georgia. Little research has, however, been done on the regions inhabited by it.
According to a research, Persian leopards are an endangered species and less than 1,000 animals are left in the wild. All the leopards have stocky bodies with comparatively short legs; their total body length (including tail) can be up to 190cm and their weight up to 70kg.
They have black spots on the head, limbs and belly and spots arranged in rosettes across the back and flanks. Their spots give unique coat patterns which can be used to identify individuals.
