Leopard family set to escape a decade of captivity

They are supposed to climb trees. They are supposed to move silently behind bushes. At the sight of prey, they are supposed to burst into a sprint and strike with their paws.

Yet for two leopards, almost everything about that natural life has remained unfamiliar since birth.

For nearly a decade, their lives have been confined to a small room enclosed by iron grilles in the wildlife hospital area of the Safari Park in Sreepur, Gazipur.

There are no trees to climb, no adequate space to run, and no natural environment in which to hunt. Visitors do not even have the opportunity to see them.

Under the rules, they were supposed to stay there for only three weeks. Instead, the quarantine shed became their long-term home. Rescued when they were just one and a half months old, the two leopards are now nearly nine years old. Their childhood and adolescence have passed entirely in captivity.

At last, that long confinement is set to end.

After nearly a decade, a separate enclosure is being built for the two leopards. It will provide opportunities to climb trees, access to water and a night shelter, as well as an environment designed to allow them to express their natural behaviour.

A total of 67.5 lakh taka has been allocated for the project.

Tarek Rahman, officer-in-charge of the Gazipur Safari Park, disclosed the details to Daily Waadaa on Sunday afternoon, October 4.

He said the Safari Park’s Essential Management Project was launched in 2024, and the construction of a separate enclosure for the leopards was included under the project.

An allocation of 67.5 lakh taka has been made for the enclosure in the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Tarek said the enclosure would cover approximately 150 square metres. Taking into account the leopards’ natural movement and instinct to climb, the authorities plan to retain natural vegetation and trees inside the enclosure.

If natural trees cannot be provided, artificial trees will be installed. The enclosure will also have water facilities and a night shelter.

A feasibility assessment is still underway to determine where in the Safari Park the enclosure will be built. Once the location is finalised, authorities will decide whether it will be open to visitors.

Rescued at six weeks old, then a life in captivity

According to Safari Park sources, police rescued two leopards and two lion cubs from a vehicle in the Chanchra area of Jashore Sadar upazila on November 13, 2017. Two people were detained at the time on allegations of wildlife trafficking.

The four cubs were subsequently taken to the Gazipur Safari Park.

Under standard procedures for rescued wildlife, they were placed in a quarantine shed so their health and behaviour could be monitored for a specified period. They were supposed to be moved to appropriate facilities after three weeks.

Three weeks later, the two lion cubs were transferred to a designated area of the Safari Park.

For the two leopards, however, nothing changed. They remained in the quarantine shed.

They were only about one and a half months old when they were rescued. Before they could experience their mother’s company, the freedom of the wild or learn to hunt, they were placed under human care.

The years passed. The cubs eventually grew into adult leopards. Their home, however, remained the same.

Wildlife expert As-Salatuzzaman told Waadaa that Leopards are among the most accomplished hunters in the cat family. "Their speed, strength and exceptional climbing ability allow them to employ a range of strategies to survive in the wild,” he said

One of their distinctive behaviours is their ability to haul captured prey into trees.

For the two leopards at the Gazipur Safari Park, opportunities to express such natural behaviour have been extremely limited, Salatuzzaman said, adding now, after nearly a decade in confinement, a new home is finally being prepared for them.

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