Report in DAWN:
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday put an interim ban on hunting of internationality protec-ted houbara bustards by permit holders from Gulf region and directed the federal government to submit names of the permit holders.
More here.
Several newspapers yesterday covered the ongoing turtle smuggling case in Pakistan. Please read and share widely. Turtles and tortoises are listed as endangered species by IUCN and CITES as their population is on the verge of extinction. These stories give us an opportunity to send appreciative letters to the editors about the importance of wildlife conservation. Do thank them for the coverage of wildlife issues in their publications and demand justice for the voiceless.
Be sure to let us know if a publication prints your letter(s) so we can share your success with other writers. Thank you for all your efforts in behalf of animals! Continue reading
For Immediate Release
October 23, 2014
Karachi: Pakistan Animal Welfare Society and others have filed a petition in the Sindh High Court for the enforcement of all laws relating to turtles and tortoises in Pakistan as well as the international treaties signed on their behalf. There was a preliminary hearing today regarding this petition which was heard by the divisional bench of the court comprising of two judges headed by the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court. Continue reading
The Sindh Wildlife Department has taken an alleged turtle smuggler to court. The accused, Sajid Cheema, is from Gujranwala and lives in Bangkok. He was caught red-handed at the Karachi airport last month with 218 black spotted turtles stuffed in his briefcase. More than 45 of the turtles have died so far, the rest have been released back into the wild. Continue reading
A hearing at the Malir District Court today has cleared the consignment of 218 turtles confiscated at Karachi airport on 20th September for return to their natural habitat this coming Thursday. Details about the recovery are here. The next hearing is expected to set the penalty for the offending party and is scheduled for Saturday, 4th oct. Continue reading
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!
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.
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.”
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.
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.