CHITRAL: Snow leopard has been spotted in Gahirait-Golen conservancy, breaking the longest ever period of its disappearance from the belt of Hindukush range of mountains.

The divisional forest officer of wildlife division, Farooq Nabi, told Dawn that the wild cat was spotted several times in the cameras that had been installed there and other known habitats of Chitral with the aid of Snow Leopard Foundation.

He said that the camera trapping had removed the apprehensions of locals and ecologists regarding the mysterious disappearance of the animal from the area who feared its annihilation or permanent migration from its centuries-old habitat.

Mr Nabi said that the animal had last been spotted in 2013 in one of its low-altitude habitats in Chitral Gol National Park during the winter season when the valley of Chitral had received heavy snow, forcing it to descend to the lows in search of food. He said that the bio-sensitive and night-vision cameras recorded a number of both dim and abundantly clear pictures of the solitary animal and in one of them, it was seen devouring a Kashmir Markhor.

The wildlife officer said that the camera-trapping process also exposed the presence of rare wild animals and birds that were declared to be endangered species. `It gives pleasant and heartening messages to the environmentalists of the area,` he added.

He said that lynx was spotted in Toshi-Shasha conservancy while the presence of Monal pheasants and snow cocks were recorded in different areas of Lower Chitral, showing a fair density of their population. Correspondent