Snow leopard kills dozens of sheep in northern Afghanistan

Local officials said a snow leopard caused havoc in the Dara-e-Asik area of Zibak district in Badakhshan in the early hours of Thursday morning and killed and injured dozens of sheep.

Badakhshan officials said they ordered Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) forces to safeguard the leopard and to release it unharmed back into the wild.

“We ordered the Mujahedin to surround the neighborhood where the leopard was trapped, and not to allow anyone or any group to kill this rare wild animal, and …return it to nature safely,” said Mazuddin Ahmadi, Head of Information and Culture of Badakhshan province.

Ahmadi said the leopard had been returned safely to the wild.

According to him, the IEA is serious about preserving the number of snow leopards in Badakhshan, adding that the animal’s presence is a drawcard for foreign tourists.

Snow leopards have in the past been known to kill sheep in the far northern province – especially in winter. In spring, farmers in the same area lost 20 sheep while 63 more were killed last winter. However the Wildlife and Snow Leopard Project paid the farmers out, said Ahmadi.

Snow leopards, which are found across central and south Asia live above the tree lines in the mountain ranges and are found in the Zebak and Wakhan districts of Badakhshan, which share borders with Pakistan, China and Tajikistan.

However, Badakhshan Department of the Environment officials said they are hoping international wildlife organizations will assist them in the future in their attempts to safeguard the snow leopard population in Afghanistan and to help prevent future attacks against domestic livestock.