At least one person has succumbed to the injuries after being mauled by a leopard in an upscale society in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
A panicked four-legged carnivore ran through the streets of Defence Housing Authority on Thursday as residents and wildlife crew along with local administration members run in a frenzy to get hold of the big cat.
Many people were mauled amid disarray, some of them bitten as clips doing rounds on internet show residents swarming as the animal created panic. At one point, wildlife opened fire to catch the leopard; instead, the big cat managed to escape.
The chase ended hours when officials with a tranquilizer gun managed to calm the animal in a room.
It was learnt that the animal was owned by a resident of the private housing society. The furious animal was on the loose after breaking his cage.
ڈی ایچ اے فیز 2 راولپنڈی ایک زیر تعمیر گھر میں ایک چیتا آ گیا ہے،
ریسکیو ٹیموں کو جائے وقوعہ پر پہنچا دیا گیا،
محکمہ وائلڈ لائف کو بھی اطلاع دی گئی ہے pic.twitter.com/5FkeIKjZzM
— Ahmed (@redeyes525) February 16, 2023
This is not the first such attack as many area residents suffered injuries over the years as these animals mostly moved to these areas in search of prey.
In recent times, people of the twin cities restricted their movement in the early and late hours of the day in adjourning areas of Margala, the country’s first leopard preservation zone.
Last year, several Asian leopards were spotted at Saidpur village after which officials deployed security personnel to save residents.
