The poachers hunted down the leopard in Shah Kot area of Nowshera on Thursday, once again exposing the department’s inability to protect the rare animal.

The department has imposed a fine of Rs250,000 on the poachers.

This is not the first incident of a leopard being killed in the area.

A few months ago the lifeless body of a leopard was found by a local man in the Manahi hills of Nowshera. Subsequent investigations revealed that the leopard had been poisoned.

According to the forest department, the mountains of Cherat and Nizampur are natural habitats of the leopard and run ins with humans are common.