Wild Life of Pakistan

[Neo]

Hw many snow leoprad are left in Pakistan.
I think these cats are on the brink of extinction now.
Beautiful they are! hmm ?
Kashif

Natural habitat area is around 80.000 square kms with some 200-400 leopards remaining.

 

[Neo]

A Blackbuck (Punjabi Kala Hiran)

Wildlife dept to release blackbucks into the wilderness

The Punjab wildlife department will release blackbucks (kala hiran) in the semi-desert areas of Pakistan, the natural habitat of the animal, said wildlife department officials on Monday. About 1500 blackbucks are being reared in captivity in regions of Punjab and Sindh. They will be released in their natural habitat in the “near future”, sources said.

A wildlife department official told Daily Times that the Punjab wildlife department had not taken any “concrete steps” to release blackbucks into their natural habitat. The official said that the efforts that had been made had not proven fruitful.

“Animals kept in captivity cannot immediately adopt to the atmosphere in the wild,” he said. “They must be provided a similar environment before being released so that they can adapt to the new location better.” He said that the wildlife department was not providing the blackbuck with such an environment and that a scientific approach was needed for the release of the blackbuck to avoid the extinction of the species.

The blackbuck is near extinction because of excessive poaching, predation, habitat destruction, diseases and inbreeding. The species is mainly found in India and in small numbers in Nepal. It was commonly found in Cholistan and was presented as a royal gift to other countries in the days of the British Raj. Herds of blackbucks could be seen in widespread plains, open woodlands and deserts in southern Pakistan. However, they are no longer visible in these areas. During the late 1970s and early 80s, small populations of blackbuck were brought from Texas for the purpose of a “reintroduction programme” in Pakistan, sources said. However, these projects have not been fruitful.

Today, blackbucks exist in small numbers in three or four locations of Pakistan, particularly in Kirthar, Sindh and Lal Sohanra National Parks in Punjab. Over 413 animals are being currently bred in the Lal Sohanra Park. More blackbucks are provided to the eminent conservationists from time to time for further conservation in Lal Sohanra’s private reserve. At present, about 500 blackbucks are surviving in the Mir of Khairpur Mehrano reserve, 110 at Khangarh and 70 at New Jatoi, Nawab Shah. Apart from these, a small number is kept in zoos, wildlife centers and private farms and houses.

The unique feature of the blackbuck is that it is one of the few antelopes that exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism. The gender of the animal is clearly distinguishable. Both sexes have white underpants, including the insides of the legs and lower chest, as well as a white ring surrounding the eye and a white chin. The weight of the blackbuck is somewhere between 25-35 kilogrammes. Females and the young have yellowish-fawn patches on their backs and heads and are generally hornless. The colouring of the males gradually darkens with age, from tan to deep brown or black. Their build is slender and their tails are shorter. Only the males have horns, which sprout before their pronounced colour change. The horns are twisted in a tight spiral with up to five turns. They may grow up to 35-73 cm or 14-29 inches.

One of the fastest moving land mammals, the blackbuck runs at a speed of 80 kmph or 48 mph. During the breeding season, males become territorial for two weeks to eight months. They defend an area ranging between one and 17 hectares from rival males and keep the largest group of females possible within their guarded area. These guarded locations hold mixed herds of 5-50 animals with three or fewer males. Dominance of the males within a herd is achieved through threatening gestures. shoaib ahmed

http://images.google.nl/imgres?imgu...tan&start=20&ndsp=20&svnum=10&um=1&hl=nl&sa=N

 

[Neo]

Indus Valley desert

 

[Neo]

Margallah National Park

 

[Neo]

The Indus Dolphin - a blind species of dolphins.

 

[EagleEyes]

The Indus Dolphine

Nice! Is it dead?

 

[Neo]

The Mountain Areas Conservancy Project ( MACP )

 

[Neo]

The KKH runs through some national parks

 

[Neo]

Undisclosed location

 

[Neo]

Daredevils

 

[Neo]

The picturesque Lake Saif-ul-Muluk, Pakistan

 

[Neo]

A marine turtle

 

[Neo]

Future grim for the Houbara Bustard

Daily Times,

12/12/2005

http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2005\12\12\story_12-12-2005_pg7_20

PESHAWAR: The Houbara Bustard is facing increasing threat of extinction due to excessive hunting, poaching and encroachments on its habitat, experts said.

This migratory bird arrives every year in Pakistan in November and December from Mongolia, Siberia and central Asian republics. According to a study, its population is rapidly declining in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, India, UAE and Middle East countries.

The Asian Houbara could be extinct within 15 to 25 years if unchecked hunting, illegal trapping and trading of the bird continued at the existing scale, said the study conducted by the Environment Research and Wild life Development Agency (ERWDA). ERWDA estimated that the natural death rate of the bird was 3.28 percent while death due to hunting accounted for more than 73 percent. The rate of hunting has reached nearly 20.8 percent, dangerously exceeding the acceptable 7.2 percent.

Because of the increased hunting of the bird, especially in its winter habitats, the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has classified it as an endangered migratory bird. The Houbara Bustard is also listed in the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals, which is known as the Bonn Convention. The World Conservation Union has put it in the ‘Near Threatened’ category.

“If the present situation continues, the number of these birds will be reduced by 50 percent by 2015 and they could be extinct by 2027,” the study said. “There is a gradual decrease in the number of Houbara birds coming to Pakistan each year,” Dr Mumtaz Malik, the chief conservator Wildlife, NWFP, said.

Rivalry between the Houbara’s newborns is also one of the factors in their decrease, he said. “The Houbara gives birth to only two offspring a year but the elder one kills the younger sibling due to the fear of having to share food,” Dr Mumtaz said. According to Dr Mumtaz, the enthusiasm of NGOs interested in preserving the endangered species has been on the decline.

Lt Col Shams Ernest, spokesman of the Houbara Bustard International Foundation (HBIF), Lahore, said that all arid areas in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan were the Houbara’s winter habitat.

“The bird is being artificial bred in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco. But it has to be done under extremely controlled conditions and is very expensive,” he said. This desert bird migrates to Pakistan in winter and leaves in April and May, said Yar Muhammad Khan, a former official of NWFP Wildlife, Fisheries and Forests Department. Covering a distance of about 4,500 to 5,000 kilometres, the Houbara journeys from central Asia and Siberia at altitudes of 300 to 500 feet and lands in Bahawalpur, Rahimyar Khan and the arid areas of Sindh and Balochistan, Khan said. The bird eats flora, insects and earthworms. “The Houbara is very sensitive and does not use the same route again if it senses any danger on its way during the first journey. If the Houbara looses its mate, it takes three to five years to find a new one,” Khan said. The bird travels in groups with one chief. If they loose their chief, the deputy guides the group to its destination. “Approximately 500 to 2,000 Houbara are trapped each year with the help of falcons, nets and other means in the arid areas of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan. If the hunting continued, the Houbara population will vanish in a decade or so,” Khan said.

Dr Mumtaz recommended community involvement through financial and other incentives in preservation and protection of the Houbara Bustard. app.

http://images.google.nl/imgres?imgu...mages?q=pakistan+wildlife&svnum=10&um=1&hl=nl

 

[Neo]

Thar Desert

 

[Neo]

Black Shoulder Kite