Misunderstood by humans, Pakistan's wild animals may need a press club of their own.

'If animals could speak a language, they would be protesting outside the press club every day,' said wildlife conservator Javed Mahar. The word animal in his statement includes all types of creatures, from the wild to the tamed and the captives. In Pakistan, animals of all species and breeds live a despicable life, mostly quietly, except for a special appearance every now and then.

One such show - as is usually termed by spectators alias the public - was broadcast live on both television and social media last month when a leopard ran amok in a residential area in Islamabad. The animal, who looked visibly distraught and agitated, dashed from one house to another seeking an escape but only ended up running into walls of bungalows as a group of clueless people chased it.

After playing hide and seek for nearly six hours, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board captured the leopard and took it to a rescue centre. It isn't surprising that the IWMB had to sedate the animal, considering it was scared and aggravated during the chase. Three people, including two staffers, were also hurt during the episode.

According to the wildlife board, the leopard was closely monitored by experts during its stay in the forthcoming days and it was ascertained that it had come to the Defence Housing Society (DHA) in the capital city from the Kahuta forests, nearly six kilometres from the posh locality.

The IWMB stated that contrary to initial suspicions, the leopard was not a pet. Subsequently, after more than two weeks, it was released into its natural habitat.

'The leopard was quite agitated and reacting. There was a risk that the feline will hurt itself and we lacked the expertise to handle and care for the wild animal. It was best to release it back into its habitat,' a Dawn report quoted Vaqar Zakaria, the acting chairman of IWMB, as saying.

The report also said that the IWMB was checking up on the feline, adding that it was in good health.

Deeaitchay - the name the leopard was given - is among those few fortunate animals in Pakistan who have safely made it back to their habitat. In other similar situations, such wild animals - especially felines because Pakistanis are strangely obsessed with them - are often either killed by the locals or packed up and sent to zoos as captives.

Human-wildlife conflict

The phenomenon - of leopards entering residential areas - as conservator Mahar and several other experts put it, is called human-wildlife conflict.

'Years ago...

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