1. 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.

2. 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:

3. Distribution
It is widely distributed large cat and is found
throughout Africa and Asia.
Pakistan
It 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 Kashmir
In AJ&K it is found around the hill ranges of
Muzaffarabad and the Neelum Valley (Roberts,
1997).

4.  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.

5.  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……..

6.  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

7. Study Area
National Park in 1996
Area 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

9. 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)

10. Methodology
The study was broadly classified into two parts
 Sighting record information
Using 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.

11.  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

12.  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

14. Sighting of common leopard
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
JanuaryFebruaryM
arch
A
pril
M
ay
June
July
A
ugust
Septem
berO
ctober
N
ovem
ber
D
ecem
ber
Month
Numberofsighting
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

15. Sighting near water sources
35%
65%
near away
Sightings near the water resources

16. Sighting of Y2007-08
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Night Morning Daytime Evening
Time of sighting
Numberofsighting
Night
Morning
Daytime
Evening
 35 % Morning
 15% Day time
 29% Evening time
 21% Night
Time of sighting

17.  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

18. Hind Track of C. leopard
Source: Stuart & Stuart 1994
Hind Track of C. leopard
MNP

19. Front Track of Leopard
Source: Stuart & Stuart 1994
Front Track of C. leopard
MNP

20. Track Code Length (cm) Width (cm) Foot Sex
SL1 8.1
7.8
7.0
6.8
FF
HF
Female
ML1 7.1
7.2
6.0
6.4
FF
HF
Female
ML2 8.3
8.1
8.4
8.0
FF
HF
Male
SL2 7.4
7.1
6.8
6.6
FF
HF
Female
SL3 8.3
7.9
7.8
7.7
FF
HF
Female
BL1 9.5
9.4
9.4
9.4
FF
HF
Male
ML3 8.6
8.1
7.9
7.5
FF
HF
Female
ML4 8.3
7.5
8.8
7.9
FF
HF
Female
BL2 8.1
8.0
8.0
7.6
FF
HF
Male
BL3 8.4 7.6 Female
BL4 8.0 7.9 Male
Total 06F + 03M = 09
Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

21. Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

22. Identified Pugmarks of C. leopard

23. 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.

24. Track
Code
Walked
(Km)
Leopard
Footprints
Scat
(ER)
Livestock
(ER)
People
(ER)
Pugmark Survey in U.C. Sarli Sacha
USL-1
USL-2
USL-3
08km
04km
09km
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

25. Pugmark Survey in U. C. Bheri and surrounding areas
UBL-1
UBL-2
UBL-3
UBL-4
7km
09km
05km
08km
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
area
UML-1
UML-2
UML-3
UML-4
09km
08km
05km
04km
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

26. 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

27. Retaliatory killing of Common Leopard
Killings Site Area Villages Killed by
02 Village Inside Khornakkah Poisoned
01 Village Outside Mohri Unknown
01 Village Outside Sarli sacha Shoot
01 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

29. Killed Leopard in Machiara National Park

30. Human leopard
conflict
Habitat degradation
Over grazing
Depletion of Prey
species
Threats to the survival of Common leopard in MNP

31. Threats

32. 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

33.  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

34.  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.

35. I think therefore I am Dangerous