Tag Archives: wildlife

It’s turtle nesting season in Karachi

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There’s an article by Faiza Ilyas in DAWN today about sea turtle hatchlings being available at animal markets in Karachi.

KARACHI, Nov 11: Illegal trade in marine turtles seems to be booming in the city as a group of volunteers, who claimed to have bought 200 green turtles from a market, released some of them at the Russian beach on Monday. Most of the turtles (20 in number) showed little movement when they were released into the water near Port Qasim.

Please have a look and be sure to leave a comment on their website today thanking DAWN for their continued coverage of animal welfare issues. Do this today as they tend to close off comments oh too soon. You can also send in a letter to the editor at letters@dawn.com about the importance of protecting our wildlife. Thanks!

A threatened species

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Editorial in DAWN:

In an encouraging sign for advocates of animal welfare, the World Wide Fund for Nature, along with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department, has initiated a programme to track leopards in Ayubia National Park with radio collars. As reported in this paper, the collars will aid conservationists in monitoring the routes and activities of the animal found in the northern regions of the country.

More here.

Say no to Dolphin Shows in Karachi

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Today’s DAWN has a report by Faiza Ilyas on WWF’s recommendation to the government to not bring dolphin shows to Pakistan.

In a position paper launched on Wednesday, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) states, “We strongly recommend to the government and concerned agencies to re-consider the initiative and look into the matter in more detail. There are sufficient opportunities for public to see wild dolphins off the shore of Pakistan, especially Karachi. They can be observed without too much effort or expense and the experience is much more rewarding.”

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Shut down Karachi Zoo

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According to the Born Free Foundation, “Wild animals do not belong in zoos. They belong in the wild.” The barren concrete enclosures of the Karachi zoo are a prime example of the suffering captive animals endure in captivity. Faiza Ilyas’ report in today’s DAWN newspaper quotes zoologist Abida Raees, an official of the zoo, justifying the small cemented cage of the zoo’s lone leopard:

The cage chosen for the leopard was big enough. While the leopard was in its old enclosure, it was always found in its concrete-floored retiring room. So, it didn’t matter if its cage had no other facilities in the old cage.

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Wildlife secretary backed controversial import of big cats

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Faiza Ilyas in DAWN:

KARACHI, Sept 8: While the Sindh wildlife department is ‘observing’ silence over the legal status of the big cats currently housed in the zoo, correspondence between government departments over the past two months shows that the wildlife and forest secretary had also endorsed a request of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation for the import of animals brought to the city without a mandatory permit in July, sources told Dawn on Saturday.

More here.

Our disregard for wildlife

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Editorial in Express Tribune:

When we, as citizens, seek protection for something, we turn to our governments and our systems of law. However, if you live in Pakistan, it seems that you are quite out of luck. Often government employees are the ones found breaking rules and corrupting the system. A recent example is the hunting of deer, partridges and quails illegally partaken in by five men in Bahawalpur, three of whom were reportedly government servants.

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Licence to kill

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Editorial in Dawn:

Houbara BustardIT seemed that sanity would prevail this year but the end result was quite the opposite. It was earlier reported that no special permits had been awarded this time round for the annual slaughter of the houbara bustard, an endangered migratory bird that is ostensibly protected under Pakistani and international law. However, it now transpires that Arab dignitaries have been awarded at least 27 permits for their wintertime shooting spree in Pakistan.

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Rare falcons taken out of country

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Bhagwandas in Dawn:

KARACHI, Dec 20: Fifteen falcons belonging to a Saudi Arabian dignitary are reported to have been brought to Pakistan recently and sent back to the kingdom after a few days. Falcons are used by hunters, mostly from Arab Gulf states, to hunt the internationally protected houbara bustard for which special hunting permits are issued by the ministry of foreign affairs.

More here.