“Its natural death indicates that the species is still thriving in the valleys of Chitral,” says the Chitral divisional forest officer.
Snow leopard dies in Chitral due to natural causes. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
A rare snow leopard that was found dead in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa was explained to have died of natural causes, officials said on Tuesday.
The carcass of the snow leopard was discovered a day ago in the mountainous region of Garam Chashma. According to the postmortem report, dated January 19, obtained by Express PAkGazette“The cause of death is determined to be severe untreated diarrhea and dehydration.”
He further said that the body was extremely weak and emaciated at the time of examination. He noted that “no gunshot wounds were found anywhere on the body” and “no external injuries or superficial abrasions were detected.” He further said that all internal organs were checked and “found normal.”
Read: International Snow Leopard Day: Resolution renewed to protect Pakistan’s 155 endangered wildcats
Chitral Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Farooq Nabi said snow leopards typically live between 10 and 13 years in the wild, and the deceased animal was estimated to be “more than 12 years old”, based on a dental examination.
“The appearance of a snow leopard after such a long period was encouraging,” Nabi said, adding that “its natural death indicates that the species is still thriving in the valleys of Chitral.”
Read more: WWF warns that infrastructure developments threaten the existence of snow leopards
Conservation efforts are underway in the region, with support from local communities, the provincial wildlife department and international organizations including the Snow Leopard Foundation.
Latif Rehman, spokesperson for the KP Wildlife Department, said local communities receive monthly training to protect these endangered animals. “The fact that a snow leopard has appeared after a long time shows that conservation efforts are having a positive effect,” he added.
WWF-Pakistan posted on X that the recent death was a stark reminder of “how fragile this iconic species has become.” “Each loss brings it closer to extinction,” the organization warned.
The recent death of a snow leopard in Chitral is a stark reminder of how fragile this iconic species has become. Each loss brings the snow leopard closer to extinction. Habitat loss, climate change and human-wildlife conflict continue to threaten their survival.
To address this,… pic.twitter.com/KU9qHVkPx9
— WWF-Pakistan (@WWFPak) January 20, 2026
He said that using AI-enabled cameras, the organization tracks snow leopards, warns communities and helps prevent conflicts.
“Now communities, authorities and partners must act to protect this rare symbol of our mountains.”
