Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 6
The decision of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department to send a rare snow leopard captured during an incident of a human-wildlife conflict to Shimla Zoo has enraged wildlife activists and enthusiasts.
They have urged the forest department (of Himachal Pradesh) to make every effort to secure the release of the snow leopard into the wild, instead of "condemning the creature to a lifetime of captivity".
The snow leopard, an endangered species, was found on Saturday after it became trapped inside a pen containing sheep and goats at Giu village near the Tibetan border in the state, according to reports.
Expressing concern at the development, Gajender K Sharma, country director, World Animal Protection, India, said, "Snow leopards are protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and deserve the highest level of protection that means preserving and cherishing them in their natural habitat.
"As a species that is adapted to a niche mountain habitat, the snow leopard must be protected in its wild habitat rather than be displayed as an object of curiosity in a zoo.
"Proper protocol for human-wildlife conflict mitigation should require the rehabilitation and release of any animal that comes into human areas.”
According to the World Animal Protection, if the current coronavirus situation has taught us any lessons, one of them is that confinement is unpleasant.
"As a wild animal, the snow leopard is an apex predator that fulfils a vital ecological role in the habitat they live in and this ecological role cannot be duplicated in captivity," the World Animal Protection said, adding that the wild animals belong in the wild and should remain there.
"captivity" - Google News
May 06, 2020 at 05:02PM
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/himachal/send rare-snow-leopard-to-the-wild-not-in-captivity-activists-urge-hp-forest-dept-81175
Send rare snow leopard to the wild, not in captivity; activists urge HP forest dept - The Tribune India
"captivity" - Google News
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