Flooding in Pakistan

Posted on August 9, 2010 by MO

The ongoing ‘super flood‘ in Pakistan has wreaked havoc on people’s lives, their property, livestock and other animals. Here is some information about the relief efforts of a few animal welfare and other organizations in Pakistan: Continue reading →

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Veterinary doctors demand jobs

Posted on July 9, 2010 by MO

Report in DAWN:

HYDERABAD, July 6: Sindh is the only province of Pakistan where more than 2,000 veterinary doctors are jobless while the situation in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa is otherwise.

More here.

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Whale shark chopped; meat carted away, sold for a song

Posted on July 9, 2010 by MO

Faiza Ilyas in DAWN:

KARACHI: The whale shark that had died after becoming entangled in a net cast off the Hawkesbay beach was chopped on Tuesday morning and taken away for use in poultry feed as Sindh Wildlife Department staff failed to move decisively to take its possession.

More here.

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Call for Volunteers

Posted on June 24, 2010 by MO

Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is looking for volunteers for its stall at this year’s DAWN’s All About Lifestyles exhibition. The dates and times are given below:

Friday, June 25, 3pm to 10pm
Saturday: June 26, 11am to 10pm
Sunday: June 27, 11am to 10pm
Continue reading →

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Save the turtles

Posted on May 31, 2010 by MO

The Monday, May 31st, DAWN has a letter to the editor about the plight of freshwater turtles in Punjab, Pakistan. The turtles are being brutally massacred for the illegal international wildlife trade and exported to foreign countries. Please write polite letters to the Director General of the Punjab Wildlife Department, and demand that this senseless violence come to an end immediately, that the perpetrators be arrested and fined and the relevant departments made to carry out their mandates. Continue reading →

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Sentient Beings

Posted on May 24, 2010 by MO

Dr. Zulfiqar Otho and Dr. Shalla Hayat of the Karachi Animal Hospital check a blind donkey rescued by PAWS.


All creatures on earth are sentient beings. There is not an animal on earth, nor a bird that flies on its wings – but they are communities like you.

The Quran 6:38

Swiss animal rights lawyer, Antoine Goetschel, recently made international news when he defended a dead pike in a case of cruelty by a local fisherman who was overheard boasting about landing the fish after a ten minute long struggle. The basis of his argument was that fish are sentient beings and that the fisherman had caused the pike needless pain. Islam is a religion where the sentience of all animals has been declared in the Quran. However, the expected application of such a belief is sadly amiss in Pakistani society. In fact, many of the most vocal advocates for animal rights in the history of Pakistan have been non-Muslim. Continue reading →

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Life’s the pits for Emma, the lonely bear

Posted on May 19, 2010 by MO

Article in the Express Tribune:

The Balochi black bear, according to her caretaker, “does each and everything on time”. Some children are standing at the edge of the pit where Emma can roam free and as she turns towards her cage, they throw food pellets and fruit at her to grab her attention. Emma, unlike other animals of her breed, ignores the childish assaults and enters her bedroom, a small cage at the corner of the pit.

More here.

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Caged and killed

Posted on May 7, 2010 by MO

The Friday, May 7, DAWN has a letter to the editor about innocent caged birds being sold at traffic signals across Karachi:

COMING to M.A. Jinnah Road from Electronic Market road, one finds bird sellers (mostly selling sparrows) caged and cramped over each other at traffic signals. It is apparent that these birds die with suffocation while their captors remain in search for those who would pay for their release. Continue reading →

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Taking things into their own paws

Posted on May 3, 2010 by MO

Mekayl Mashhadi Ahmed in The Express Tribune:

Karachi: In a city rife with political violence and terrorism, animal welfare often takes a backseat. But six years ago, Mahera Omar and Maheen Zia decided to take things into their own hands, or rather, their own PAWS.

More here.

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Earth Day 2010

Posted on April 23, 2010 by MO

Forty years after the first Earth Day, the world is in greater peril than ever. While climate change is the greatest challenge of our time, it also presents the greatest opportunity – an unprecedented opportunity to build a healthy, prosperous, clean energy economy now and for the future.

More here.

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