Snow leopard continues killing animals

CHAPALI: Snow leopard has killed three cows and eight sheep and goats in Chumarkhan Gol during the last about two weeks, local people told ChitralToday.

They complained that the wildlife department was doing nothing to protect the animals in the pasture area against the snow leopard.

There is also a wildlife conservation committee but it has no resources either to protect the cattle or compensate the affected owners of the cattle.

They appealed to the authorities of the wildlife department to take steps otherwise the people of the area would kill the wild cat and the government itself will responsible for it.

Whenever goats are killed in pastures up in the mountains in the summer, local people say it is snow leopard. But it is not for sure if in all such incidents snow leopards were involved or some other wild predators kill animals.

But in many instances, villagers have in the past seen snow leopards entering their pens at night in the winter and attacking cattle.

A few years ago, a shepherd reported to villagers that a snow leopard had attacked his goats in the foot mountain near the Dizg village.

Three young men rushed to the spot carrying guns. When they reached there the big wild cat was resting on a stone with three goats killed near it.

One of the men tried to fire at the predator but the others stopped him, saying in case the bullets missed it the wild animal would attack them.

They then decided to change their position but when they appeared from another side, the snow leopard had disappeared. The goats were found bleeding from their necks.