From snared to swimming: some observations on the rescue, treatment, release and monitoring of an injured Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya).
Abstract
The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is a threatened endemic sub-species and the island's apex predator. Wire snares represent a substantial threat to leopards here, with conservation officials routinely rescuing snared leopards. This process can lead to injury treatment, rehabilitation and translocation, the final outcomes of which are poorly understood. Here we report on the rescue and ex situ treatment and recovery of a snared young adult male leopard as well as its post-recovery release and monitoring. This was the first GPS radio-collared translocated leopard in Sri Lanka. The leopard was snared in a human-dominated, unprotected region of the Central Highlands and underwent surgery and 4 months of treatment before being released within a lower elevation protected area -20 km from the capture site. The leopard made immediate, clear and rapid directional movements towards its original range, island-hopping by swimming across open water on three occasions (distance range: 90-650 m) to return, within 3 weeks, to a human-dominated, agricultural landscape -10 km from its original capture site.Practical Implication: Although the leopard's age and sex, and characteristics of the release suggest a reasonable probability of success, longer monitoring was required to determine the ultimate success of the release. The leopard's immediate attempt to return towards its capture location supports previous research indicating that translocation should be avoided unless circumstances allow for little other choice.