A rare Asiatic wildcat (Felis lybica ornata) has been sighted in the Sulaiman Mountain Range of District Dera Ghazi Khan.
This elusive feline, also known as the Indian desert cat, is a subspecies of the African wildcat and is found across a wide range stretching from the eastern Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, western India, western China, and southern Mongolia. However, little is known about its current population status, and experts believe its numbers are in decline.
Muhammad Jamal Khan Leghari, the chief of the Leghari tribes, confirmed the presence of this exceptionally rare species in Dera Ghazi Khan. Having personally captured images of the cat, he emphasized the need for secrecy regarding its exact location. Given its critically low numbers, conservationists are withholding specific details to safeguard the species from potential dangers such as illegal poaching, habitat destruction, and wildlife trafficking.
The discovery has sparked both enthusiasm and concern among wildlife experts and local researchers. “This is an important addition to Pakistan’s biodiversity, but it also calls for careful conservation measures,” said one of the conservationists involved in tracking the species.
Earlier in another significant wildlife discovery in Balochistan, where a pair of rare Persian leopards was documented in the Chiltan Mountain Range near Hazarganji National Park, southwest of Quetta.
Officials from the Balochistan Wildlife Department had received reports of the leopards’ presence six months ago and subsequently launched an extensive search.
Their efforts paid off when experts successfully located and photographed the pair in the rugged terrain of the Chiltan Range. According to Sharifuddin Baloch, Chief Conservator of the Wildlife Department, this finding underscores the importance of ongoing conservation initiatives in the region.
