Environment

PM Barzani asks Duhok authorities to treat wounded leopard

The three-year-old leopard was transferred to Duhok Zoo after her capture by the environmentalist protection forces in one of the villages close to Zakho.

Halgurd Sherwani 2022/01/02 21:52

A leopard that underwent hind leg amputation surgery lies in a cage at the Duhok Zoo, Dec. 31, 2021. (Photo: Ismael Adnan/AFP)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Leopard

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday instructed the Duhok governor to “take care of the health” of a rare leopard recently wounded by trap, according to a government statement.

The animal lost a leg due to a trap-induced wound. A medical team is currently treating the big cat at Duhok Zoo and she would be released back into the wild once her condition improves, the government statement added.

The three-year-old leopard was transferred to the zoo after her capture by the environmentalist protection forces in one of the villages close to Zakho, a town bordering Turkey.

Her condition is “stable,” Dr. Sleman Tamar, the head of Kurdistan Organization for Animal Rights Protection, told Kurdistan 24 on Friday. Dr. Tamar, conducted the hind leg amputation at the Zoo.

The leopard weighs around 90-100 kilograms (nearly 220 pounds).

Leopards are one of the rare animals that are categorized as "vulnerable" by animal rights groups. There are less than 1,000 leopards in the wild currently with an estimated 200 more in captivity.