A leopard escaped from a house where it was kept as a pet in Islamabad on Thursday and terrorized the neighborhood for hours before being captured, Pakistani security services learned on Friday.
Videos posted on social media show the young male cat sneaking under cars before knocking down a man on a residential street in the capital and then jumping over a garden fence.
“Our initial understanding is that it is a domestic animal and not a wild animal at all. But he’s scared and won’t stop roaring,” said Tariq Bangash, director of Islamabad’s Conservation Committee.
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 NaveeD (@redeyes525) February 16, 2023
Pakistan last year banned the import of exotic animals – including big cats – previously facilitated by lax laws.
Considered symbols of wealth and power, big cats are particularly popular with Pakistan’s golden elite.
The two-to-three-year-old leopard slightly injured four people before it was captured and taken to the capital’s former zoo, which was forced to close at the end of 2020 because the animals were mistreated there.
He is now there with a black bear, a tiger and several monkeys, all domesticated animals rescued by wildlife services in recent months.
“We have reports that several people in (Islamabad) and other parts of Rawalpindi (a city adjacent to the capital) keep wild animals for company, including leopards,” Bangash added.
Police have launched an investigation to find the owner.
Islamabad borders the Margalla Hills National Park, which recently established a special sanctuary for leopards.