A wild snow leopard, captured by villagers in the Misgar Valley after raiding their livestock, was safely released by Gilgit Baltistan Wildlife Department officials.

At 6:00 p.m. on February 22, 2017, the SLF Gilgit office was informed by the General Secretary of the Wildlife Conservation and Social Development Organization (WCDO) about the capture of an adult snow leopard by community members of Misgar Valley. The incident was immediately reported to all concerned authorities. The Conservator of Wildlife and Parks Department, Gilgit Baltistan, called a meeting the next day at 9:00 a.m., which was attended by senior officials of the department, along with representatives from WWF, WCS, and SLF. The SLF delegation was led by Jaffar Ud Din, Assistant Director.

Given the sensitive nature of the incident, based on significant human-wildlife conflicts in the valley, and the priority of ensuring the health and safe release of the snow leopard, all officials in the meeting discussed several options in detail. The SLF team provided its input to help devise a realistic and least complicated solution. Due to the livestock losses and distress among the community, it became clear that a safe release would only be possible through a compensation package. The Wildlife Department pledged to increase the ibex trophy hunting quota for Misgar and to engage two local community members as Wildlife Guards. WCS offered support for capacity-building in the valley’s conservation organization. SLF agreed to implement a livestock insurance scheme in Misgar on the condition that the community would release the snow leopard.

Without delay, a team consisting of Jaffar Ud Din (SLF), senior officers from the Wildlife Department, WCS, and media representatives, led by the Conservator of Wildlife and Parks Department, set out for Misgar. The team arrived at 5:00 p.m. to find a large crowd of community members gathered where the snow leopard had been captured. Attaullah, the Nabardar (community leader) of Misgar Valley, recounted the capture and explained that four snow leopards had been present in the valley for several days, causing significant livestock losses. He stated that the villagers were angered by the losses and would only release the snow leopard if they were compensated in the form of cash, corral improvements, and job opportunities for four community members.

During negotiations, Attaullah emphasized the role of SLF in persuading the villagers not to kill snow leopards, a practice that had been common for many decades. He expressed hope for further support, particularly in preventing livestock killings. Ghulam Muhammad, the Conservator of Wildlife Department, thanked the community for not harming the snow leopard and assured them of full cooperation and support. He agreed to engage two persons as Wildlife Guards and to increase the trophy hunting quota for ibex. Jaffar Ud Din, Assistant Director of SLF, thanked the community for transforming from poachers to conservationists through SLF’s efforts in the valley. He also noted that SLF had already been aware of the situation in the valley and had initiated discussions on a livestock insurance scheme, which was now under development with a mutually acceptable framework.

Negotiations continued until 6:30 p.m., when some community members agreed to release the snow leopard, provided it was released outside the valley and the commitments made were fulfilled. Since moving the snow leopard at night was not advisable, it was safely transferred and released inside Khunjerab National Park (KNP) the following morning. After the release, the community of Misgar met the team at the entrance of KNP. The Secretary of Forests, Wildlife, and Environment, GB, briefed the community about upcoming projects designed to compensate for their losses. The community members thanked the Secretary and SLF for addressing their concerns.

It is important to highlight the role of the Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan, in the successful release of the snow leopard. Syed Rizwan Mehboob, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Climate Change & Green Pakistan Programme, played a crucial role from the beginning to the successful release. Syed Mahmood Nasir, Inspector General of Forests, was also instrumental throughout the incident, continuously supporting all those involved in ensuring the safe release of the snow leopard.