What's new

Wildlife of Pakistan

Meet the Pakistani banker who turned to photography to save wildlife
ZOFEEN T. EBRAHIM


In his floppy hat, flak jacket and carrying heavy equipment, Mirza Naim Beg looks a typical wildlife photographer. Only when you start talking to him do you find an ex-banker who took early retirement to follow his passion.

His previous incarnation firmly behind him, Beg is now known as the man who organises increasingly popular wildlife viewing tours across Pakistan. And ever since he was persuaded by a friend three years ago to join the FaceBook page Birds Of Pakistan, he has held three exhibitions, conducted wildlife photography workshops as well as lectures. “Now I maintain a page called Birds Of Sindh on FaceBook,” he says with pride.

“During these three years, many (people) in and around Karachi including Larkana, Mithi and Kathore who have long lenses, love wildlife and didn’t know where to go have joined me in helping raise awareness of our wildlife and focus on conservation. So far, I have recorded around 180 bird species of Sindh and above 200 across the country,” he tells thethirdpole.net.

Beg is worried about the threats humans pose to the birds. “Threats to our wildlife include the burgeoning human population, boom in real estate development, uncontrolled hunting of game birds like Grey Francolin, migratory birds and trigger-happy hunters shooting during the breeding season, netting and sale both for meals and business,” he says. “Loss of habitat has been predominantly due to the real estate expansion in places like DHA phase 8 of Karachi, where I have recorded more than 30 bird species that will not be there in years to come.”

Here is Beg’s own selection of birds photographed by him.

5915b1e3e2572.jpg

The Eurasian Golden Oriole is a summer migrant to South Asia. This bird was photographed on an unusually hot June day in Kallar Kahar in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Eurasian Golden Orioles have also been spotted at Kathore near Karachi, and are expected to continue visiting this part of the world unless forests are wiped out completely


5915e9fc91b36.jpg


This flock of Greater Flamingos was photographed at Port Qasim in megacity Karachi. They are residents, and their number jumps from June to the end July when they start breeding. This photograph, taken around three years back, launched Beg into wildlife expeditions. Unfortunately, the large number of factories coming up around the port will pose a serious threat to the birds as polluted fumes are being spewed out daily and the mangroves in the area are in danger of being lost. Greater Flamingos eat shrimp from the creek, which gives them the pink tone


5915ea758fc78.jpg


Locally known as Hud-Hud, the Hoopoe was once a common sight in cities. They are internal migrants – wintering in Sindh and breeding in northern Pakistan in the summer. But now their population is on the decline due to loss of habitat. They are also victims of a strange myth – some faith healers use the Hoopoe’s beak as a pen’s nib to write ‘taaviz’ (amulet)


5915ea97c7776.jpg


Another internal migrant, this Wallcreeper was photographed at Margalla hills near Islamabad last December. They come down from the high Himalayas every winter. The wonderful habitat of Margalla is under threat from new housing schemes. Birders in Islamabad are protesting and trying to limit this invasion


5915eac4df544.jpg


One more summer migrant, the Asian Paradise Flycatcher travels from southern India to the cooler foothills of Pakistan’s Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. This male bird was photographed in Kallar Kahar, Punjab, in June. The female is brownish with a smaller tail


5915eae8afe3b.jpg



These Black Rumped Flameback Woodpeckers were building a nest off the Super Highway from Karachi to Hyderabad in Sindh, only about 20 km from the Karachi toll plaza. Beg has seen this bird in Mirpur Sakro and Haleji lake of Sindh as well


5915eb0f14ba2.jpg



The Blue Whistling Thrush is a resident of Kashmir, where Beg photographed this bird on a riverbank


5915eb449a05f.jpg



It is real fun to watch a Pied Kingfisher at work, Beg says. In Bhalwal, Sargodha district, he watched this bird hover over a small pond and then make a vertical dive on the target. Once he got the fish he sat and chewed for few moments, throwing it into the air and then swallowing it. There are four kinds of kingfisher in Pakistan – Pied, White Throated, Common and the rare Crested kingfisher. They can be seen all over the country, wherever there are ponds, rivers or canals


5915eb666a391.jpg



Common Teals are common winter visitors, migrating from Siberia to South Asia. These birds were photographed at a lake in Tando Mohammad Khan, Sindh, in late February. Very often, these birds are prey to hunters with guns or nets, including those without hunting permits


5915eb89d3f9b.jpg

Mirza Naim Beg
 
are there wild lions in Pakistan? like which area?
 
Two bears reared in bear rescue center chakwal were successfully released back to the wild yesterday. After a long journey when the cages were opened they never looked back to the keepers . After eating herbs they simply vanished into the buffer area of Khunjerab Park across Sust . Only in Idaho USA similar restoration work has been carried out. Some members have visited the rescue center. A good news from and for the history of restoration of the wild from Pakistan indeed.

19029640_10155455059738713_1315348088287230997_n.jpg




18950942_10155455060018713_4237423553628987691_n.jpg




18920446_10155455060218713_9041854082382180076_n.jpg




18952876_10155455060408713_4752885784577018581_n.jpg





18951435_10155455060548713_6450554544763936553_n.jpg
 
are there any other animals on the current extinct list in Pakistan?

The Asiatic Cheetah was thought to be extinct in Pakistan but recently some signs and a carcass was found near the Iranian border. A species of big dear in Kashmir recently went extinct on this side of the LOC. Apart from the recent ones take your pick from dinosaurs to Baluchitherium (largest mammal ever).
 
Broghil national Park, northern Pakistan....


They looks nice.

Is any one of them included in the UNESCO world Heritage site?


Yes quite a few places are in the UNESCO heritage list, also snow leopard is now in the list of protected species....

Check this video, shows the Baltit fort in UNESCO heritage list. A Dutch girl NORA was visiting these areas alone in a bike, more videos in the side bar of YouTube...

 
Camels are common across Pakistan


645b92ee095b7f521280f09d692e36f7.jpg




301e13e7817d1846341312f4d01d8913.jpg




42a47fa26b3bdefd391a6074aaaf43e2.jpg




e710d46ac45eaffe3d360b3a6f059fa9.jpg




fa30b9e8ad4824abd173488a2e29794e.jpg




3a47c7cdc2d9eb8f2fa742a5a5b30f9d.jpg




3eff75079402cb89a2b6176cfb443529.jpg




aec01d0202696b49c29c31801fc98b5d.jpg




.
c1f18d1bba778cc254d2562253627e1d.jpg
 

So the Government of Pakistan does not know that the Markhor (national animal) and the Himalayan Ibex are two completely different animals. Brilliant.

I probably shouldn't even bother that they completely forgot to mention a major subspecies of Markhor inhabiting Balochistan, southern KPK and DG Khan in Punjab?

Himalayan Ibex,

Himalayan_Ibex_Pakistan%20(3).jpg


Himalayan_Ibex_Pakistan%20(1).jpg


Markhor,

24.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom