A young leopard caused a commotion on a main road near Muzaffarabad, capturing the attention of travelers for about an hour, according to witnesses.
The leopard, scientifically known as Panthera Pardus, was first spotted along the main Muzaffarabad-Mansehra Road near Brarkot village. It was initially sitting at the road’s edge, partially concealed by hop bushes, before moving onto the road itself, causing a traffic jam.
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Videos shared on social media showed a large crowd gathering on both sides of the road as the leopard remained on the road for about 20 minutes. Witnesses noted that while the leopard didn’t appear to be injured, it seemed unusually rooted to the spot.
🛑 #Leopards have been accessing rapidly in urban areas / villages of #Pakistan since last few years, this video is of a injured leopard cub near #Muzaffarabad, #Azad #Kashmir. pic.twitter.com/iVbVpm2gC4
— PakWeather.com (@Pak_Weather) September 15, 2023
Officials from the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) wildlife department were dispatched to the scene, but before they could reach the area, the leopard leaped back into the mountainside and disappeared. The wildlife department conducted a search for over an hour and a half but eventually concluded that the young leopard had likely returned to its habitat in the thickly forested mountains.
