The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board’s (IWMB) Margalla Wildlife Rescue Center recently brought an injured female leopard cub to the rescue and rehabilitation center, formerly the Islamabad Zoo, after rescuing her from the suburbs of Muzafarrabad.
The leopard, about a year old, was kept in a cage crouching in a corner, her face buried in the straw bedding, poised as if ready to pounce.
“She is recovering and is in good health now as 70 percent of her tail has healed,” said Rina Saeed Khan, chairperson of the IWMB, during a press briefing.
The cub was rescued two days prior by IWMB staff in cooperation with the Azad Kashmir Wildlife Department. Dramatic news footage captured the rescue, showing the leopard sitting at the top of a tall tree and a wildlife official climbing to bring her down. The cub had lost half of its tail, which vets believe was cut after being caught in a snare.
Khan explained that the center is working with Four Paws, an international animal welfare organization, and wildlife experts from South Africa to ensure the cub receives proper care.
Rehabilitation efforts and future plans
The IWMB plans to keep the rescued leopard cub for another four to five days before releasing her back into her natural habitat.
“The vets want to make sure that the cub is fully recovered before she is set free,” Rina Khan informed the media. Experts believe she can survive in the wild, having likely been taught how to hunt by her mother.
The rehabilitation center is the only facility in the country where rescued animals are brought. Recent additions to the center include a deer and two kites. The deer, abandoned by its owner, is ready to be released into the wild, while the injured kites require longer to recover.
Margalla Wildlife Rescue Center is the only facility in the country where rescued animals are brought and cared for. While some fortunate ones are returned to the wild, others that cannot survive on their own in the wild have become permanent residents at the center such as kites, rescued dancing black bears and two leopard cubs that were possibly abandoned by their mother and saved by volunteers and wildlife experts.
Wildlife rescues dehydrated kites during heatwave
The Margalla Wildlife Rescue Centre of the IWMB, on July 8, revealed that the facility had received around three to four dehydrated Common Kites during the heatwave season.
Deputy Director of Research and Planning at IWMB, Sakhawat Ali, stated that kites and other birds of prey were rescued after the public reported seeing them groggy and unsteady due to extreme heat.
Sakhawat Ali noted that the Common Indian Kites were often affected by dehydration or injured after entangling in kite strings. Dehydrated animals or birds were treated with ORS water, a readily available rehydration fluid administered under expert supervision.
Ali advised the public to keep dehydrated birds in the shade and provide ORS water as first aid before relocating them to the rehab and rescue clinic. He emphasized that kites often appear dead when they stretch their wings but can survive with timely rescue and care.
“We have more than 50 kites, and 10 of them healed after rehabilitation due to the extensive care of the IWMB trained staff and will be released probably tomorrow,” he said.