Rare snow leopard spotted near human settlements in Chitral

CHITRAL: A rare and endangered snow leopard has been spotted in Chitral’s Mannor Valley in the Garam Chashma area.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department said the elusive big cat was seen close to human settlements, prompting wildlife authorities to spring into action.

According to the wildlife department, snow leopards were reported in Chitral a few years ago as well, but the latest sighting is being regarded as a significant development for the species’ survival.

It said that wildlife teams from Chitral are currently in the area, working to protect the animal and secure its natural habitat.

The KP Wildlife Department has also alerted local residents to adopt precautionary measures to avoid any potential conflict. Officials said cooperation from the community is critical to ensuring the snow leopard’s safety.

The Snow Leopard Foundation said in a post on X: “These elusive ghosts of the mountains are venturing closer to human settlements. A gentle reminder: our majestic wildlife is fragile — let’s protect their home.”

Earlier in March, a game watcher in the Central Karakoram National Park in Gilgit-Baltistan captured rare footage of four snow leopards — a mother and her three cubs — roaming across snowy terrain. The video, filmed from about 250 metres away, quickly went viral.

Game watcher Shaukat Ali, who has served in the park for nearly eight years, said he had been tracking the cats for weeks, following faint paw prints across icy slopes. “I wasn’t afraid,” he said at the time. “They don’t attack unless they feel threatened. I just stayed silent and let them move in their own world.” His patient observation captured not only the animals on film but also the serenity of coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Earlier, WWF-Pakistan had warned that infrastructure development projects — particularly road construction — are posing severe threats to snow leopard habitats in Gilgit-Baltistan, disrupting their movement and increasing the chances of human-wildlife conflict.

The research, conducted under the project titled “Building Ecological and Sustainable Transport/Linear Infrastructure for Snow Leopards in the Hindu Kush Karakoram Himalaya Landscape” (BEAST), highlighted the adverse effects of rapid infrastructure expansion on the region’s wildlife. The report covered two major roads — the Karakoram Highway (KKH) and the Gilgit–Shandur Road — both of which cut through snow leopard territory.