The body of a one-year-old female common leopard was found shot dead on a link road in Basant Kot village, along Batangi Road near Muzaffarabad on Friday, triggering public outrage and fresh concerns over the safety of endangered wildlife in the region.
The young big cat was discovered with three fatal gunshot wounds, according to preliminary findings by the AJK Wildlife and Fisheries Department, which has launched an investigation into the killing. Wildlife officials immediately took custody of the carcass and conducted a postmortem examination, confirming the cause of death as a deliberate shooting.
An FIR has been filed against unknown individuals at the Patikka police post, and authorities have begun interviewing local residents. However, no arrests have been made so far.
The incident drew a large crowd of concerned villagers, with many expressing frustration over what appears to be a recurring problem. “Dead leopards have been found in this area before,” said one resident. “We fear a group is deliberately targeting them.”
Leopards are known to inhabit the forested peripheries of Muzaffarabad, where increasing human-wildlife interactions—fueled by habitat encroachment—have led to mounting tensions and sporadic confrontations.
Environmentalists and conservationists warn that such killings could have long-term impacts on the already vulnerable leopard population in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The common leopard is listed as “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and its survival depends heavily on habitat preservation and strict enforcement of wildlife protection laws.
The AJK Wildlife Department has vowed to continue its probe and urged locals to cooperate in identifying those responsible.
Meanwhile, conservation groups are calling for enhanced surveillance and public awareness campaigns to reduce human-wildlife conflict in the region.
