Pakistan Wild Life

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[ghazi52]

Back Lit , Rock Eagle Owl Glares Back , Un-Inhibited at the Powerful Nikkor 800mm f/5.6E Lens Mounted on the Nikon D5 , in the Remotest Areas of Rajanpur District.

 

[ghazi52]

Ghugi in Punjabi, Fakhta in Urdu.

 

[ghazi52]

Myna in Sindh.

 

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Wildlife in Pakistan showing signs of recovery​

Deforestation, habitat destruction and water dispersion pose threat to several species


Anadolu Agency
March 02, 2022
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KARACHI: Massive destruction and alteration of natural habitats, water dispersion, deforestation and illegal hunting and trade have taken a toll on Pakistan’s struggling wildlife over the past decade, posing serious threats to several rare species, according to experts and government officials.

Nevertheless, they said some “balancing” conservation efforts by the government and wildlife groups in collaboration with local communities have resulted in a rise in the population of several otherwise near-extinct species.

“Pakistan’s wildlife has long been under stress due to several factors, including habitat destruction, water dispersion, illegal hunting and trade and deforestation in recent years,” said Mohammad Moazzam Khan, a technical adviser to World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) -Pakistan.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the occasion of World Wildlife Day falling on March 3, Khan, however, observed that there has been a “remarkable” increase in the population of several marine and land species in the country during the same period.

The South Asian country has seen an “ostensible” decrease in the number of migratory birds, wild bears, blackbucks, pangolins and Onagher (Indian asp), whereas there are some animals like leopards whose population has been reduced and increased simultaneously in different areas, according to the WWF official.

The number of snow leopards in the country’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, which borders China, and the common leopard found in northeastern Punjab province and the Islamabad-controlled part of Jammu and Kashmir has soared, whereas the leopard population in southern Sindh and southwestern Balochistan provinces has alarmingly declined, he added.

Khan said the population of hogs, gavials and crocodiles has also fallen by alarming levels due to “massive” deforestation” along the Indus River, mainly in Sindh.

Mudassir Hasan, the deputy director of wildlife for Punjab, the country’s largest province, noted that “degrading “ and “shrinking” habitats due to increasing human activity and climate change have wreaked havoc on the wildlife in the province.

“Climate change has brought all natural resources including wildlife around the world under stress, and Pakistan is no exception, “ Hasan told Anadolu Agency, adding the country’s richest province has recorded a huge decline in the number of migratory ducks in recent years.

“Our water bodies have become polluted and are shrinking. Space for migratory birds like cranes, flamingoes, gadwalls and canvasbacks is rapidly shrinking due to pollution and the unavailability of food,” he added.

Fencing and deforestation

According to Nawaz Khuhro, a Karachi-based analyst who regularly writes on the environment and climate change, the forest cover in Sindh has been reduced to an alarming level of less than 2%.

The key factors behind this massive deforestation, he said, are illegal encroachment by tribal chieftains and the allotment of forest lands to politicians and landlords for farming purposes by the government.

“Over the past three decades, over 200,000 acres of forest land have either been illegally occupied or allotted by the successive governments to their favorites in Sindh alone,” he said.

Fencing of the Line of Control – a de facto frontier that divides the Himalayan Kashmir valley between Pakistan and India -- and the Thar border has shrunk the habitat for wild boars, leopards and Onagher, he added.

Sign of recovery

Khan cited huge illegal trade behind the shrinking number of pangolins due to high demand for its meat and shells in China.

“There are some species like vultures and other rare birds which have shown signs of a recovery, but they are still endangered,” he said.

However, the populations of several species of Markhor goat, Pakistan’s national animal, the Sindh Ibex (wild goat), Balochistan Urial (wild sheep), Chinkara (deer), snow leopard and Nilgai (bluebuck) have shown an upward trajectory in recent years, contrary to predictions about their possible extinction, according to Khan.

In terms of marine species, he went on to say the number of blind Indus dolphins, all five species of marine turtles found in the Arabian Sea, and whales has seen significant growth.

Sharing a similar view, Hasan said wildlife authorities “to an extent” have managed to protect the rare Chinkara deer in the northeastern Cholistan Desert which borders neighboring India.

He said in Punjab’s Potohar range, the Urial goat has been protected with the help of local communities.

“The local communities take care of Urial, and in return, the government spends 80% of the money it earns through issuance of the license for hunting the four oldest goats on them every year," he explained, adding that the fee is charged in US dollars, with one Urial costing $18,000 to hunt.

Annually, 12 to 16 licenses are issued to both local and foreign hunters.

Last year, a US hunter paid a record $88,000 to bring down a Markhor in the northwestern Chitral mountains which sit on Afghanistan’s border.

 

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1499443024614543365

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Wildlife sanctuary to be developed in Cholistan​

By Myra Khalid .
March 4, 2022.

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A wildlife sanctuary area has been reserved in Cholistan for the preservation and breeding of the Great Indian Bustard. This was announced by the Punjab Wildlife, Fisheries and Forests Minister Samsam Bokhar.

The wildlife sanctuary will be situated near Bijnot in Cholistan about 80 kilometers away. The Cholistan area falls in the jurisdiction of Bahawalpur and Rahim Yar Khan districts.

The Great Indian Bustard is facing extinction. According to a handout released by the ministry, the establishment of the sanctuary in Cholistan will help increase its numbers and would also help promote the conservation of the Chinkara deer, rabbits, Bhat partridges and (Bhoora) partridge.

Speaking to Dawn, Bahawalpur Division Deputy Director Wildlife Zahid Ali Rai said that the minister’s visit to the area aimed to increase local community engagement so that locals can also participate in the conservation efforts of the wildlife department. The minister also urged residents to help stop illegal hunting.

As per reports, Mr Bokhari told locals that they will be provided jobs as an incentive to help deter poachers and apprehend those violating the law.

Around 30 men would be deployed as guards at check posts around the sanctuary.

The sanctuary will also have a drinking water facility and will have open water ponds for livestock. CCTV cameras will also be installed to monitor illegal hunting.

The Punjab wildlife secretary had already issued a notification of the allocation of 4,675km for the sanctuary......
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[ghazi52]

Fly over Salt Range, Punjab........

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[DF41]

I like your postings of Pakistan wild life.

 

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For over 20 years, environmental anthropologist Shafqat Hussain has been working to protect snow leopards in his native Pakistan.

Situated in the north of the country, the Gilgit-Baltistan region is home to three of the highest mountain ranges on Earth. This rocky terrain is perhaps "the best snow leopard habitat in the world," according to Hussain.

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Black deer population in Pakistan increases after 53 years​

Increase in the population of the previously extinct animal recorded after 17 black deer were released in Fort Abbas


Asif Mahmood
March 29, 2022

Black deer return to Pakistan

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LAHORE: For the first time In Pakistan, a successful release of a rare species of black deer into its natural habitat has begun to show positive results as the population of the previously extinct animal has increased after 53 years.

In October 2020, 17 black deer were released into the natural environment in Fort Abbas Tehsil in the Bahawalnagar district of south Punjab, and their numbers are now increasing rapidly.

According to Punjab Wildlife officials, another group of 25 black deer has been shifted from Lal Sohanra National Park to the Pre-Release Center in Khairpur Tamiwali where these animals will be released into nature after becoming acquainted with the environment.

Black deer in the Cholistan desert, considered to be their natural habitat, went extinct in 1967. Punjab Wildlife, with the support of the Pakistan Army, began work on the project to release the deer into the wild in the year 2000, District Wildlife Officer of Bahawalnagar Zahid Ali told The Express Tribune.

Ali explained that at the time it was decided that the deer should be bred in an artificial environment and then released into their natural habitat.

“For this purpose, black deer were released in Lal Sohanra National Park where they started to breed. Our main goal was to bring the black deer back to their natural environment," Ali added.

In order to rehabilitate the population, pre-release pens were made with the help of the Pakistan Army. A group of black deer was first relocated to Khairpur Tamiwali in November 2019.

The pre-release pens are intended to help train the animals to live in the natural environment and keep themselves alive for a year.

In September 2020, the group was transferred from Khairpur Tamiwali to another pre-release pen created in Fort Abbas, to aid their acclimatization with the environment.
Eventually, 17 black deer were released into the wild.

"We have built water ponds at various places in the area before releasing them into the natural environment," Zahid Ali said.

In order to ensure the safety of the animals, different types of natural grass has also been cultivated while a monitoring system has been set up and checkpoints created to fend off hunters.

According to Ali, the population of has increased over the year. The deer live separately in three different groups and roam freely in an area of about 30 to 40 kilometres.

Currently, no animal has died or been hunted.

According to Punjab Wildlife officials, black deer are being monitored regularly after being released.
Special attention is also being paid to their food and water in the area, as in the past water scarcity was the cause of their extinction.

According to officials, another group of 25 black deer has been shifted from Lal Sohanra National Park to the Khairpur Tamiwali Pre-Release Pen.

Here, like the first group, they will be accustomed to the natural environment and a year later they will be released in Cholistan.
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[ghazi52]

Black deer population in Pakistan increases after 53 years.
Mehrano wildlife sanctuary near Kot Diji of Dist Khairpur Mir’s of Sindh.



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[Signalian]

 

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Wildlife Deptt rejects hyena’s attack on children in Mardan​

APP
Sat, 6 Aug 2022

Wildlife Deptt rejects hyena's attack on children in Mardan


PESHAWAR, Aug 06 (APP): The Wildlife Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has shown disagreement with report about hyena’s attack on children in Madey Baba village near Takker in Mardan district.

A couple of days earlier a dog-like animal attacked few children in Madey Baba village, injuring few of them. The animal quickly escaped when local people rushed to the site after listening shouts of terrified children.


In a press statement issued here on Saturday in a response to the claim of locals that few children were attacked by hyena in the area, the Wildlife Department argued that hyena was a nocturnal animal that comes out of den at night while the children were attacked at around 10:00 in morning.

Hyena is mostly visible in Lakki Marwat and D.I.Khan districts of KP and according to record, the animal has never been seen in Mardan district during the last 20 years, the statement reads.
Even in Lakki Marwat and D.I.Khan districts, no such reports of Hyena attack on human was reported, the Wildlife Department said.

The statement further said the department did not directly reject reports of locals about presence of hyena in the area as in view of changing climate and habitats of animals due to increasing population, migration of animal to the area could not be totally rejected.

The staff member of the Wildlife Department are vigilant and monitoring the situation besides remaining in contact with locals who are also educated about precautionary and safety measures to prevent any attack by animal in future, the statement concludes.