Status of Common Leopard (Panthera pardus) in and Around Machiara National Park Azad Jammu

and Kashmir, Pakistan

MUHAMMAD KABIR *, MUHAMMAD SIDDIQUE AWAN*, MAQSOOD ANWAR**, MUHAMMAD WASEEM** , Naeem Iftikhar Dar** *Department of Zoology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad.**Department of Wildlife Management, PMAS Arid Agriculture university, Rawalpindi.

Introduction

Common leopard belongs to the genus Panthera and family Felidae

There are 36 species of cats extant in the world. Pakistan have 11 of them, including two of the large sized cats; snow leopard and common leopard

There are 4 subspecies of Common leopard in Pakistan:

Distribution

It is widely distributed large cat and is found throughout Africa and Asia.

PakistanIt confined to Himalayan forest regions up to the limit of the tree-line or the lower altitude valleys in the more arid mountainous regions further north.

Azad Jammu and KashmirIn AJ&K it is found around the hill ranges of Muzaffarabad and the Neelum Valley (Roberts, 1997).

Pugmarks of Common Leopard

The pugmark of a male almost fits into a

square.

The pugmark of a female fits into a

rectangle.

If the difference between PML and PMB is

less than 1.5cms, the pugmark is likely to

be that of a male.

If the difference between PML and PMB is

more than 1.5cms, the pugmark is likely

to be that of a female.

Common leopard is listed as endangered in Appendix I of (CITES).

Common Leopard (Panthera pardus) is

listed as critically endangered in Pakistan (IUCN, 2004)

Status……..

To estimate the population status

To find out the distribution

Disturbance factors

Retaliatory killing of Common Leopard

To suggest future actions for the conservation of the species in the study area.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVE

Study Area

National Park in 1996Area 13,352 ha (33,437 acres), 133 km2

It is true representative of Himalayan Mixed temperate Forest -Rangeland Ecosystem

It also provide habitat for some of the globally important and endangered species like Snow Leopard, Musk Deer, Western Horned Tragopan and Cheer Pheasant besides many other types of indigenous flora and fauna.

Methods and Material

Ecological and conservation value of Machiara National Park Machiara

National Park is present in Himalayan hotspot

Conservation International declared whole Himalayan Mountain Range as biodiversity hotspot (Myers, et al,2000)

MethodologyThe study was broadly classified into two

parts

Sighting record informationUsing questionnaires

Pugmarks survey technique (Panwar, 1979. Sharma, 2001)

For designing the leopard transects, the resource map of the area was consulted

A total of 15-fixed Permanent transect were selected to be monitored on regular basis.

We walked along these transect searching

a width of 4 m and covering the two sides of transect.

Developed PIP’s Pugmark tracing Measurements Photography Preservation

Distribution of C. leopard

Leopard has been sighted at 23 location

In 2007 Female with cubs sighted at Kornakkah, Nalla Kalus and Cheeritora.

In 2008 at three different places (Kornakkah, Nalla Kalus, and Danna Bheri

The geographical coordinates of all the sighting places were recorded

Results and Discussion

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Month

Nu

mb

er o

f si

gh

tin

g

Y2007

Y2008

May (23%), June (15%), July (15%) and December (15%). (Y2007)

May (20%), June (30%), and January (20%). (Y2008)

Sightings

Sighting during different months

35%

65%

near away

Sightings near the water resources

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Night Morning Daytime Evening

Time of sighting

Nu

mb

er o

f sig

hti

ng

Night

Morning

Daytime

Evening

35 % Morning 15% Day time 29% Evening time 21% Night

Time of sighting

More than 45 tracks were traced, after careful analysis of data only eleven (11) tracks were identified as individual leopards.

0f the 11, 2 tracks were not identified completely

It was estimated that 09 leopards existed in and around the study area.

Population estimation

Hind Track of C. leopardSource: Stuart & Stuart 1994

Hind Track of C. leopardMNP

Front Track of LeopardSource: Stuart & Stuart 1994

Front Track of C. leopardMNP

Track Code Length (cm) Width (cm) Foot Sex SL1 8.1

7.87.06.8

FFHF

Female

ML1 7.17.2

6.06.4

FFHF

Female

ML2 8.38.1

8.48.0

FFHF

Male

SL2 7.47.1

6.86.6

FFHF

Female

SL3 8.37.9

7.87.7

FFHF

Female

BL1 9.59.4

9.49.4

FFHF

Male

ML3 8.68.1

7.97.5

FFHF

Female

ML4 8.37.5

8.87.9

FFHF

Female

BL2 8.18.0

8.07.6

FFHF

Male

BL3 8.4 7.6 FemaleBL4 8.0 7.9 Male

Total 06F + 03M = 09

Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

Disturbance Factor

As People and livestock activities along the transects were recorded as an index of disturbance.

Fifteen fixed monitoring transects were surveyed to get the mean encounter rate for leopard scats, footprints, livestock and people seen in the area.

Track Code

Walked(Km)

LeopardFootprints

Scat (ER)

Livestock (ER)

People (ER)

Pugmark Survey in U.C. Sarli Sacha

USL-1USL-2USL-3

08km04km09km

01(0.125 )01(0.25 )01(0.111 )

02(0.25)01(0.25)02(0.222)

20(2.5)14(3.5)23(2.55)

10(1.25)11 (2.75)21(2.33)

Encounter rates (No. /km) of Pug Marks, Scats, Livestock and People

Pugmark Survey in U. C. Bheri and surrounding areasUBL-1UBL-2UBL-3UBL-4

7km09km05km08km

01 (0.142)01(0.05)01(0.2)01(0.125)

00(00)02(0.1)00(00)03(0.37)

06(0.85)65(3.25)21(4.2)06(0.75)

09(1.28)88(4.4)09(1.8)11(1.38)

Pugmark Survey in U. C. Machiara and surrounding areaUML-1UML-2UML-3UML-4

09km08km05km04km

02(0.222)01(0.125)00(00)01(0.25)

02(0.222)02(0.25)01(0.2)01(0.25)

10(1.11)15(1.87)11(2.2)09(2.25)

08(0.89)22(2.75)07(1.4)09(2.25)

1.60 2.11 25.03 22.48

Continue…The calculated mean of encounter rates were recorded as an index of disturbance.

Pugmarks 1.928

Scat 2.022

Livestock 32.94

People 30.77

Information showed that the park is highly disturbed because of human activity

Retaliatory killing of Common Leopard

Killings Site Area Villages Killed by02 Village Inside Khornakkah Poisoned01 Village Outside Mohri Unknown01 Village Outside Sarli sacha Shoot01 Forest Inside Behri Shoot

Leopard is now most persecuted large cat in MNP and an average of one to two leopard were killed every year

Killed Leopard in Machiara National Park

Human leopard conflict

Habitat degradation

Over grazing

Depletion of Prey species

Threats to the survival of Common leopard in MNP

Threats

Recommendations

Regular monitoring Management of human leopard conflict Compensation scheme Proper herding practices Awareness Human interference should be strictly

banned at least in the core zone Research studies

The present study was conducted to evaluate the status of common leopard in the MNP by counting the number of pug marks on transect lines and by sighting. People and livestock activities along the transects were recorded as an index of disturbance.

Maximum sightings were recorded between 15629.2m to 31599.5m. About 30% sightings happened near the water sources. Of the total sightings, 35 % were recorded in the morning, 15% at the day time, 29% in the evening time and 21% during the night.

Conclusion

Mean encounter rate calculated for the leopard pugmarks was1.928, for scat 2.022, for livestock 32.94, and for people 30.77. This showed that the park is highly disturbed because of the human activity (grazing, fuel wood and fodder collection).

The geographical coordinates of all the sighting killings places were recorded and plotted on the GIS map.

It was estimated that 09 leopards existed in and around the study area.

I think therefore I am Dangerous

THANK YOU