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Pakistan And U.S. Cooperate On Temporary Transfer Of Snow Leopard From Naltar Valley to The Bronx Zoo
08/08/2006Orphaned snow leopard cub found last year in Naltar Valley to participate in state-of-the-art species conservation program
Islamabad - At a ceremony attended by Pakistani Minister of State for Environment Malik Amin Aslam as chief guest, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan His Excellency Ryan C. Crocker as guest of honor, and numerous environmentalists, wildlife specialists, diplomats, academics and media, an orphaned snow leopard who answers to the name of "Leo" was handed over to officials from the Wildlife Conservation Society/Bronx Zoo for participation in a captive breeding program in New York, USA. The temporary transfer of the snow leopard from Pakistan to the U.S. marks a culmination of months of dedication and cooperation among Pakistani and American wildlife experts and government officials to help save an endangered species.
The elusive snow leopard or Uncia uncia, which inhabits a mixture of remote areas scattered throughout the vast Central Asian deserts, plateaus and long narrow mountain chains up to 5,500m above sea level, has been listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM globally as an endangered species and on the Pakistan Red List as Critically Endangered. In addition, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES, to which Pakistan has been a signatory since 1976, has listed the snow leopard as an Appendix I species since 1975, resulting in strict prohibition on international trade in the animal and its body parts. Furthermore, the killing and use of snow leopard parts is prohibited in all the range states. Current global estimates on the population of the snow leopard range between 3,500 to 10,000 animals, with Pakistan being home to some 300 animals.
Unfortunately, even though the plight of snow leopards has been known for the better part of 30 years, the global population of the snow leopard appears to be declining. This is due to weak implementation and enforcement of legislation within the range states and the species often face serious threats due to economically-driven human activities such as livestock grazing, habitat fragmentation, reduction in the population of suitable prey, illegal trade of animal parts for medicinal purposes and poaching for pelts.
Leo’s story began on July 14, 2005 when the Gilgit office of the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) was informed by a shepherd in Naltar Valley, Northern Areas (NA) that he was in possession of a male snow leopard cub. The WWF-P team travelled to Naltar and brought back the cub for veterinary inspection to their office. The cub, who was estimated to be around seven weeks old at the time, was found to be in healthy condition.
The NA Forest and Wildlife Department and the federal government were immediately notified about the presence of the cub. For their part, the authorities decided to move the cub to a more appropriate facility near the Khunjerab National Park and deputed Kamal-ud-din, a keeper from the NA Forest and Wildlife Department to look after it. However, with the onset of summer and the resultant increase in temperature, the young animal was shifted back to Naltar Valley and has since remained there under Kamal-ud-din’s care. The animal is now 13 months old, stands 21 inches tall and weighs about 25 kilogrammes. The Government of Pakistan and the Northern Areas Administration have been involved with the snow leopard since its capture and have provided the highest support and attention to ensure not only the survival of the cub but also the development of a long-term rehabilitation programme for snow leopards and other foundling animals needing assistance in the future.
Snow leopard cubs in the wild normally stay with the mother until the age of about 18 to 22 months, learning all the basic skills necessary for survival in the extreme environment they inhabit. Given that Leo had been completely dependant on humans virtually since birth, it was not practical to release him back into the wild. This necessitated looking at other possibilities to ensure his long-term survival. Among the various ideas being floated at the time, one was to transfer "Leo" to a zoo in Pakistan and possibly use him in a captive breeding programme. While this idea looked fine on paper the fact remains that zoos in Pakistan lack the scientific expertise and resources to undertake such an effort. Moreover, since the snow leopard is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as an endangered animal, Leo’s case was no longer a national issue but one of global biodiversity conservation.
Consequently, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad was informed about the cub’s situation and submitted a proposal to the Government of Pakistan suggesting that the snow leopard be loaned for captive breeding to an international facility as part of a long-term conservation and rehabilitation programme. Noting the existence of state-of-the-art snow leopard facilities in the U.S. -- namely the world-renowned facility at the Bronx Zoo -- IUCN Pakistan (IUCNP) backed this proposal and worked tirelessly to persuade all parties. Once identified as a potential home for the cub, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)/Bronx Zoo enthusiastically took on the venture.
Besides bearing the feeding and shelter costs of the snow leopard together with WWF-P and the Government of Pakistan, IUCNP has for the past seven months been actively facilitating a translocation process to enable the cub to enter the Bronx Zoo. A team of experts from the Zoo have been in Pakistan since July 30 to ensure the smooth relocation of the animal to the United States.
The cooperation to bring "Leo" from Pakistan to the U.S. temporarily has developed and strengthened the relationship between the Government of Pakistan, the U.S. government, WCS, and WWF-P, all long-standing members of IUCN. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad has been critical in ensuring high level support within the U.S. government for the translocation of the snow leopard, as well as in the development of the agreement between WCS and the Government of Pakistan.
In an effort to ensure the long-term sustainability of such a move, the agreement between WCS and the Government of Pakistan has laid out the need for the development of a rehabilitation facility in Northern Pakistan as well as international training and capacity-building for future staff of the facility. The animal remains the property of the Government of Pakistan and will be returned to the Northern Areas Administration upon completion and approval of the rehabilitation facility. "Leo" is scheduled to depart for New York on August 9.