'Nearly blind' snow leopard sees brighter future

XINING－Linghan is now over 11 years old and nearing the upper reaches of the average life span for wild snow leopards. Weak, fatigued and almost blind when he was rescued, he now has a bright future after successful cataract surgery in Xining, Qinghai province, on Nov 26.

The injured animal was found by a park officer in Zadoi county in early January and sent to Xining Wildlife Park. Because he was rescued on the "Big Chill" day, one of China's 24 solar terms, he was named Linghan, meaning "braving the cold".

"Linghan weighed only about 25 kilograms when he first arrived. Anyone could tell from his dull coat that he was in poor condition," said Qi Xinzhang, deputy director of the park.

On Feb 25, veterinarians from China Agricultural University conducted a comprehensive medical examination of Linghan and found he suffered from poor vision as the result of a perforated left cornea and a cataract in the right eye.

Surgery was suggested to recover his eyesight, but his condition had to improve before the operation.

His eyes were treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and he was fed nutritional supplements. After 10 months, Linghan's weight exceeded 40 kilograms, and his overall physical condition for a leopard his age was assessed as being normal.

At 9:50 am on Nov 26, Linghan was anesthetized and transferred to a local animal hospital. At 11:45 am, he was sent to the operating room. Ninety minutes later, the cataract surgery was done.

Jin Yipeng, medical group leader and deputy dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine of China Agricultural University, said they replaced Linghan's lens with an artificial one donated by Meni-One, a Japanese pet health company, and sutured his fractured third eyelid to protect the cornea. "The surgery went well, and we're happy with the result," Jin said, adding the surgery was similar to that performed on humans.

He hoped it would restore Linghan's eyesight as well as set a precedent for similar surgeries to be performed on rescued wildlife.

There are 12 snow leopards in Xining Wildlife Park, including 3-year-old Aoxue who was artificially conceived. The other leopards are kept there because they are old, weak, sick or disabled.

Qi said Linghan had lost the ability to survive in the wild because his teeth are badly worn. After a full recovery, he will be given a new home where he will be cared for.

Snow leopards are a Class A protected animal in China and classified as "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They mainly inhabit the Himalayas in central and southern Asia at an altitude of 2,500 to 4,500 meters.

There are an estimated 4,500 to 7,500 living in the wild globally, according to the IUCN.