Residents in Bajaur have killed a common leopard after the animal allegedly repeatedly targeted livestock across the Speen Mundgaon neighbourhood of Wara Mamond tehsil. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department has initiated legal action against the individuals who killed the endangered animal.
According to the villagers, the big cat prowled near local settlements, preying on cows and goats. The raids inflicted heavy financial strain and widespread panic among herders who monitored the creature’s path before taking matters into their hands.
Wildlife authorities have condemned the killing, announcing plans to identify culprits via video footage and file formal charges under strict conservation laws. Officials have stressed that the common leopard remains a legally protected species, making unauthorized elimination a severe criminal offence. Furthermore, they noted that had there been an official complaint the wildlife department would have safely captured and relocated the animal to its natural habitat.
Locals maintain that they complained to the Wildlife Department, yet no heed was given to the matter.
Authorities have urged citizens to contact the wildlife management teams in case predators drift into populated zones, rather than taking matters into their own hands. Experts attribute the rising frequency of human-wildlife clashes to shrinking forest boundaries, depleted prey populations, and encroaching human settlements driving starving animals outward.
Similar retaliation cases have previously surfaced in Darra Adam Khel and Kurram district, where authorities similarly launched legal investigations.
